Prescott College Asian and Pacific Islander Student Union

Hey so if you were at last week's meeting the potluck has been postponed till this Wednesday.

STILL MEETING TODAY AT THE FANON FROM 6-7 ✊🏽

Be there 😀

Love,

PAPSU

October is Filipino American History Month. Every Monday Gabriela PDX will be sharing stories of pinays who are/have been integral to the struggle for liberation of Filipinos in the US and abroad. With our first post falling on Indigenous Peoples Day, we’ll be starting off with indigenous leader Bai Bibiyaon Ligkayan Bigkay.

Bibiyaon Ligkayan Bigkay first broke the rules by rising to tribal chieftain, a traditionally patriarchal role in Lumad (Indigenous) culture. Already an elder in the 1990s, Ligkayan broke the rules again by picking up spear and bow and arrow to fight a logging company encroaching on their ancestral territory in Mindanao. This woman warrior battled alongside men on the frontlines, successfully driving the logging company off their land.

Aggressive attacks by the US-backed Filipino government and profit-seeking corporations continue to result in Lumad killings and evacuations of Lumad communities. The Filipino government antagonizes the Lumad using US-inspired counter-insurgency programs, such as Oplan Kapayapaan, which utilizes technical assistance, military aid, and occasionally U.S. military personnel to target any who oppose their profit-seeking agenda.

Bibiyaon Ligkayan’s sharp skills as an organizer and a people’s leader has earned her recognition in her own village and with activists and organizers worldwide. Now at 92 years old, Ligkayan remains a fierce defender of her land and people. “If we continue to struggle just as we are doing now, tomorrow is ours. The struggle must be continued by future generations.”

Who are the Filipinas who inspire you? What defines your personal Fil-Am history and identity? Share your stories using the hashtag .

Big thank-you to all who came out and supported PAPSU in their first Dinner and a Movie!

Come to PAPSU's Dinner and a Movie event this Thursday for an Asian-inspired dinner and an awesome documentary exploring undocumented America.