Celebrating Teresa “Tisay” Dulalas: A SoMa Community Champion
I’m taking the time to congratulate Teresa “Tisay” Dulalas, one of our foremost community activists in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood of San Francisco. Tisay was among the Filipino changemakers and leaders honored on July 12th during the South of Market Community Action Network’s (SOMCAN) “Reclaiming Our Space Art Unveiling” of the “Kahayagan” mixed media art installation. This project was a partnership with the Children’s Creative Museum at 221 4th Street, San Francisco.
As quoted during the event, “The Kahayagan Art Project is dedicated to the leaders and legacies that have helped build, empower, engage, and continue to inspire our communities’ ongoing contribution for a just society.”
Tisay embodies SoMa’s rich heritage of Filipino community empowerment. In her own words, taken from her personal essay in the upcoming book, “Diaspora Journey: Philippine Migration and Diaspora Narratives,” she reflects:
“From grassroots school issues to advocating for the only Filipino Bilingual Program in elementary and middle school, to housing and tenant rights, and addressing immigrant issues, we became voices for change. Life’s hardships transformed into opportunities to fight for justice, to lend our voices to those who needed it most.”
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JULY 23, 2024
EVENT TITLE: Rhythms of Mindanao
TYPE OF EVENT: on-site
ORGANIZER(S): Kularts and House of Gongs
WHAT: A concert featuring music performances by Indigenous Philippine Master Musicians and Culture Bearers
DESCRIPTION: Experience performances by Talaandig artists Balugto and Datu Waway Saway, Maguindanaon artists Sata Egal Abdullah and Farid Guinomla, and T’boli artist Joey Ganlal. With special guest musicians Ron Querian aka Kulintronica, Rogelle Zamora, Gean Vicent Almendras, and Conrad J. Benedicto.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 23, 2024
WHERE: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Ste. 290, Oakland, CA 94607
WHAT TIME: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $30 advance online tickets ($40 at the door); use promo code $3OFF at check-out on RSVP link. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door, pending seating availability. Not applicable to presale ticket purchases.
RSVP LINK: https://www.kularts-sf.org/rhythms-of-mindanao
WEBSITE: https://www.kularts-sf.org
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AUGUST 4, 2024
EVENT TITLE: August 4th Commemoration
TYPE OF EVENT: on-site
ORGANIZER(S): Manilatown Heritage Foundation
WHAT: Commemoration of the 1977 I-Hotel Eviction with a Special Honoring of Manilatown’s San Francisco Maritime Connections
DESCRIPTION: Save the date for August 4th as we launch our boats (made from “tsinelas” or flip-flops, handcrafted by volunteers) at Aquatic Park Cove and reclaim our connection to the waters that surround us. And then walk with us as we honor our ancestors from Aquatic Park Cove, North Beach, Chinatown and then to Manilatown, to commemorate the 1977 |-Hotel Eviction, the most dramatic housing rights battleground in America’s History. We will recall the names and stories of the I-Hotel tenants (many of whom were merchant seamen, longshoremen and fishermen), and transition from a Commemoration event to a Reclamation event in which participants will reclaim our connection to each other as one San Francisco Bay Area maritime community. It’s a day of tradition, solidarity and community empowerment!
WHEN: Sunday, August 4, 2024
WHERE: 3:00 p.m. at Maritime Museum, 900 Beach Street; Launching of the “Flipping the Boat” miniature community boats into Aquatic Cove. Please meet at the Maritime Museum’s Blue Room where we will gather to remember and reclaim Manilatown’s connection to San Francisco’s maritime legacy before we take the short walk to Aquatic Cove to launch the miniature boats holding our community’s hopes and dreams. We will then gather our little boats and take a 30-minute walk from Aquatic Cove, through Fisherman’s Wharf, through North Beach, through Chinatown and Historic Manilatown to the International Hotel Manilatown Center.
6:00 p.m. at International Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny Street; Our Commemoration continues with a 6pm screening of the 2023 restoration of Curtis Choy’s classic documentary, “The Fall of the I-Hotel,” followed by a Candlelight Vigil honoring the evicted tenants of the I-Hotel.
WHAT TIME: 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
HOW MUCH: Free. Donations are appreciated.
RSVP BY: Before the event on August 4.
RSVP LINK: https://tinyurl.com/manilatown08042024
WEBSITE: https://www.manilatown.org/
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This Filipino community events announcement column is a community service project spearheaded by me.
DISCLAIMER: This is my content curation of events, aka my choices, which are organized by community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and community events that benefit our diverse communities. If you have questions about an event, click on the RSVP link or find the contact person or organizers mentioned in the announcement. There are some events included in this column that I help promote or organize.
