FilAms Share Stories About Life in America during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
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Personal and community stories about “life in America” came alive as they were told by Filipino Americans at
the TALK STORY tent of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival between June 27-July 5. Stories about coming to
America and of discovering opportunities unfolded in most interesting ways.
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For Jenny Lares, it was sharing a new development in Asian
America Pacific Islander (AAPI) arts in DC today. She talked
specifically about Sulu DC, an underground, grassroots
network for AAPI artists. On the third Saturday of every month,
Sulu showcases emerging and established AAPI artists in
music, spoken word, video, and multidisciplinary
performances. The show is curated by Lares, a young
Philippine-born poet who grew up in Maryland and who co-
founded the organization. She is also one of the hosts of a
weekly open mic at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC’s
U Street corridor. She exudes enthusiasm and confidence that
new directions in this medium opens new doors for AAPI
artists including Filipino Americans.
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For Miriam Riedmiller, it was the Filipino American lawyer
finding her way to Washington, DC and shaping her role as
immigration lawyer. Through years of perseverance and
hard work, she found her niche in the legal community and
handles cases to help the minority immigrant. Miriam
highlighted the importance of family to Filipino Americans as
manifested by our interest in keeping the issue of “family
reunification” in the current Comprehensive Immigration Bill
that’s up before Congress. To her, each case is a story to tell
to the Immigration Judge or Offricer – how a green card
holder should be allowed to unite in American with qualifying
foreign-born relatives, or why a U.S. business entity or
individual should be allowed to hire a qualifying foreign-born
worker. She also cited the role of the FilAm community and
the FilAm media in enlarging our individual worlds.
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Featured also was the Sarmiento family of Maryland, one of the early settlers of Filipino origin. Four
siblings recalled their father, Pedro Sarmiento, and mother, Cresenciana Calvelo coming to
America in the 1950s. Their father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March and a Purple Heart
recipient. He joined the US Army and had every intention of returning to the Philippines, but was
persuaded by his wife to stay for the opportunities presented by this new land. Their parents were
first stationed in Kentucky and experienced culture shock upon meeting only three Filipino families
in the area. They eventually settled in Chevy Chase in 1958, and then moved to Prince George’s
County, Maryland in 1975. Pete, Tony, Maria, and Mike recreated growing up in the area with Filipino
social life centering around the Vicente Lim VFW Post 5471. Pete joined the federal government
and Tony worked with AFLCIO. Mike became a doctor and Maria works with Regal Cinema.
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Mencie Hairston run a panel of speakers
who shared their stories about Camp
Mabuhay, an annual camp that brings
together families who have adopted Filipino
children. Parents and adopted Filipino kids
told of their time spent during the camp with
experiences of Filipino culture in the form of
food, music, dance, language, crafts, and
history. The purpose of the camp is to give
the adopted children pride in themselves and
their background. Speakers showed how
Camp Mabuhay is special because of the
heart-to-heart partnership between the
families and the Filipino American
communities in the Washington, D.C. area,
as well as in Connecticut and Indiana.
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These four talkstories were samples of the 20 that focused on FilAm topics. Each Asian American
ethnic group had their own representatives also. Other FilAm speakers were Juanita Tamayo Lott,
Carmelita Tursi, Rita Cacas, Maurese Oteyza Owens, Emile Dearing, Christina Lagdameo, Irene
Bueno, Cora Foley, Kris Valderrama, Angela Lagdameo.
On the Asian Fusion Stage, the FilAm performers were the Migrant Heritage Commission, the Northern
Virginia Rondalla, Ultimate Kali Eskrima. Evelyn Bunoan gave a cooking demonstration at the Tea
House.
All in all, Filipino Americans were well represented at the Smithsonian Folklife sharing their
experiences, recipies, and cultural performances. Mabuhay!
photos were contributed by photo enthusiasts, text by Maurese O. Owens
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