Filipino Bayanihan Center Launch & Celebration

Filipino Bayanihan Center Launch

Leaders of the Filipino Bayanihan Center invite you to join us on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 11:00 am for the official launching and opening of the Filipino Bayanihan Center.

WHAT: Bayanihan Center Launch Celebration

WHEN: Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 11:00am

WHERE: 1537 SE Morrison St. Portland, OR

RSVP: tinyurl.com/bayanihanoregon

Questions? Please email kamusta@bayanihanoregon.org

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In 2021, NAFCON developed the Filipino American Agenda and built unity within the community on the foundation of the Filipino communitys collective interests and aspirations. This identification of collective interests now serve as the basis for collaboration, projects, campaigns, advocacies, and more.

Our story as a community of Filipinos living in America, while having taken deep roots in many parts of the country, is still inextricably linked to the journey of brave migrants who have left the Philippines decades ago as well as those who are forced to do so to date. Migrant Filipinos make up the majority of Filipinos living in the U.S. today, taking up many low-wage earning jobs in the health, food/restaurant, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. The series of community meetings, kwentuhans, talakayans, organization to organization presentations, and the Filipino Agenda townhalls allowed us to hear community testimonies which affirmed the apparent need for immediate support and resources for the Filipino community.

It is in this context that NAFCON is taking further action by launching the Filipino Bayanihan Center in Oregon. This is a step forward to promote, advocate, and assert the rights and welfare issues of everyday, working-class Filipino families and individuals who suffer the most in the midst of ever-worsening economic and health disparities, and who are also often the targets of racism and xenophobia. Born from the struggles of the working-class Filipino community along with genuine camaraderie and bayanihan spirit from all concerned community members, NAFCON is excited and honored to contribute a physical and resource space for the Filipino community. Although born from NAFCON Oregons campaigns and work with the Bayanihan Taskforce, the Filipino Bayanihan Center will function as an independent entity from, and a close affiliate of, NAFCON Oregon.

The Filipino Bayanihan Center is a result of continued community collaboration and will serve as a hub for services and resources, research and advocacy, and leadership development. The center aims to connect community members to essential resources, while building capacity to engage with the issues we face as a Filipino community towards positive change. The center aims to create a space where Filipinos can find a home amongst one another and create opportunities to connect with, and to advocate for our motherland and fellow kababayans. The centers programs and projects are in continuous development to reflect and respond to the fast-changing needs of the Filipino community, and will include: accessible and free space for events and activities for the Filipino community, free community pantry with essential food offerings, health clinics and workshops, culturally-relevant educational discussions, Filipino arts and literature lending library, and many more.

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