Archipelago Press Release March 14, 2008

:: posted by Ferdinand ::

REPRESENT THE ASIAN AMERICAN VOTE!

T-Shirts Help to Mobilize Asian Americans Voters
Asian-American Apparel Company’s latest offering expands line of popular get-out-the-vote shirts.

Seattle, WA – March, 2008 – This election season, you hear a lot about the importance of the black vote, the Hispanic vote, and even the women vote. But where are the Asian Americans?

With millions of Asian American voters being largely ignored by the media, Archipelago, a Seattle-based apparel company, hopes to help draw some attention this the largely-overlooked voting bloc with its newest offering. The shirt, which bears a flag-like design, declares in big, bold letters “Represent. Recognize. The Asian American Vote.” Between the lines of the main text are listed the many ethnic groups that comprise the Asian American community.

Apart from educating the mainstream, Archipelago also seeks to raise awareness within the Asian American community, said Carina de Leon, Archipelago’s CEO.

“Our goal was two-fold: to inform mainstream America that Asian American voters also exist and matter, and to encourage fellow Asian Americans to make our voices be heard by participating in the election process,” de Leon said.

To help get the word out about the importance of voting, the company is also offering wholesale packages and free postcards to Asian American activists and organizations involved in get-out-the-vote campaigns, de Leon said.

The “Represent. Recognize.” design isn’t the company’s first foray into cause-oriented shirts. Four years ago, during the last presidential election cycle, the company’s most popular product was its “Rock the Asian Vote” shirt, and it was sported by Asian American youths and activists throughout the country.

Last year, Archipelago also created a shirt to honor the Filipino World War II veterans and their six-decade long struggle for equitable benefits. A portion of the sale of the shirt, which is still available, was donated to veteran organizations.

For more information about Archipelago or to see its latest designs, visit the company’s website at www.archipelago-inc.com or email goteam@archipelago-inc.com.

About Archipelago
Archipelago is an online company offering products and designs for the Asian American community. Apart from shirts, the company also carries a wide variety of products including bags, books, button, and greeting cards.

Contact: Ferdinand de Leon
goteam@archipelago-inc.com
(206) 985-ARCH

Filipino American National Historical Society Conference February 16, 2008

:: posted by Ferdinand ::

Every two years, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) puts together a conference that attracts scholars, students, writers, artists, and anyone interested in learning about some facet of the history of Filipinos in America.

Two years ago, the conference was held in Hawaii, which was then marking the centennial of the arrival of the first Filipino laborers brought to work on the island’s plantations. Two years before that, the conference was in St. Louis, as that city celebrated the centennial of the St. Louis Expo, which featured a recreation of a Filipino village.

This July, the FANHS conference will be held July 3-5, in Anchorage, Alaska. This year’s theme is “The Lure of the Salmon Song” and many of the sessions will focus on the long history of Filipinos migration to Alaska.
Last month in Seattle, as a preview of what’s to come this summer, the national office of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) held a seminar that featured Seattle residents who were all part Filipino and Alaskan native.

They spoke about their families, the unique challenges of growing up Indipino (mixed Filipino and Native American), and the unexpected byproducts of cultural cross-pollination, like adobo made with various Alaskan wildlife.

It’s not often we hear about other people’s histories, and one of the great things about the FANHS conferences is the rich variety of personal histories shared. It’s a wonderful way to learn about and better understand the Filipino American community, and its rich and complex history.

In hearing the stories of the Indipino panelists, it was easy to relate their experiences with the experiences of other immigrants, including that of my own parents, who were part of later migrations to the U.S. There’s something universal about the immigrant experience that transcends culture, race and even time. Ultimately the stories boil down to the challenge of overcoming displacement and learning to adapt. But each story is also unique. When we hear other people’s stories, it reinforces the ties that bind, but it also helps us to learn and respect the differences in our experience.

So if your summer plans are still in flux, think about going to Alaska. You might even get a chance to try some moose adobo.

For more information on the conference, check out www.fanhs-national.org

Do Your Homework. January 23, 2008

:: posted by Carina ::

I’ve been following Election 2008. One of the reasons I subscribed to cable was because so many of the debates are not shown on network tv. It’s a loss to the people who do not have that access and my hope is that one day our government will mandate that election debates are a Civic right and legislate to air them on public channels as they happen so that people are more fully informed. But I digress. This is not a rant about how cable dominates the political discussion. Instead, it’s about how Asian Americans are not even featured in the debate.

Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the media about the “Black” vote and the “Latino” vote but hardly any about the “Asian” vote. I do not consider Asian Americans to be a fringe community. Our census numbers are competitive, and at times surpass, the Latino and African American groups in all the major urban cities. Yet, there are no representatives on the political cable talk shows and no prominent mention of endorsements by Asian American politicians announced by the media. Why haven’t Asian American journalists pushed to make our voices heard? Why are they silent in what is probably the most important election in our lifetime? I’m disheartened by the vast quiet from our politicians and our media. Asian Americans have long struggled for visibility in this country and we do not do ourselves a service by not projecting our voice.

However, there is some light in the darkness of representation and it’s found on the Internet. Not surprisingly, it comes from the Asian American creative and activist community, from individuals who long ago decided to step out of the box of invisibility to help represent our perspective. There are blogs such as APA for progress, a grassroots network of Asian Pacific Americans who advocate progressive action and Angry Asian Man who recently posted about an online group on YouTube called “United for Obama” featuring activists and film industry actors like Kelly Hu and Kal Penn and directors like Eric Byler who happen to support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

This post does not advocate a particular candidate but instead would like to shed some light into the problem our community has in finding and projecting our presence in this country. One of the reasons my siblings and I started Archipelago was to help our community represent . But how do we start to make a difference? Well, you vote. Our numbers must be counted so they can make an impact and then the media will take an interest in and start listening to what Asian Americans want to see in their government.

It’s time to start doing our homework. It’s funny to address that to a community who stereotypically always does their homework but we have ignored the American political process to our detriment so maybe it is worth a directive. Don’t cast your vote because of a celebrity endorsement or from quotes taken out of context. Read the political news and the reputable internet blogs. Watch the debates on tv and online if you have not seen them. Decide what issues are important to you and research to see how the candidates stand and vote on those issues. The website youdecide2008.com posts all the Democrat and Republican debates in their entirety so you can watch them with a clear perspective. There are also sites such as govtrack.us where you can view congressional voting records, campaign contributions and records of sponsorship for bills to see what issues candidates push forward. And if you are interested in a particular piece of legislation, go to opencongress.org to find out where it stands. If your candidate is not in Congress, look for their record on votesmart.org or do your own research on search engines such as Google.

There are no excuses for being uninformed this election cycle. Open your eyes and read what people are writing, open your ears and listen to what people are saying, then do our community a service and open your mouth to participate. And remember, on Nov. 4, 2008, please go out and VOTE.

Rock the Asian American Vote

“CHANGE” January 10, 2008

:: posted by Carisa ::

So it looks like it’s going to be a race between a woman and a person of color for the Democratic nomination. If “change” is what this election is spinning around then “change” we have been given. Being a woman of color, I look forward to the day when we have this combination on the ticket as well. But for now, these two options are a beacon of hope in this country that has not given us much hope in the last 7 years. I cheer this on even as I am still leery of whether real “change” touted by both the Democrats will happen after November.

There are so many things we need to change right now. Being a mother, I worry that this war in Iraq puts us in more jeopardy than we were in 9/11/01 and that the world is working its way towards another major world war. I worry that when I die, healthcare will not be affordable for my child unless he’s making 6 digits, I worry about the consequences of global warming and our lack of stewardship of the Earth that gives so much to us and most recently, I worry that the freedom to do with my life that I’ve always taken for granted, may not be there for my son. It is not hard to want change with so many worries. So I say, bring it on.

Gandhi – “Be the Change” Tshirt

Christmas Bazaar 2007! December 7, 2007

:: posted by Ferdinand ::

I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy, happily searching for the silver lining on any cloud.

But if that cloud happens to be crammed full of snow, and if that snow happens to fall and fall and fall on the very same day you’ve planned a great big Christmas sale event, then finding that silver lining in all that white stuff can get to be a challenge.

On Dec. 1, the day of Archipelago’s Christmas Bazaar at Seattle’s Filipino Community Center, our first ever attempt at organizing a large event, Seattle experienced one of its rare snow days, never a good thing in a city notoriously incapable of dealing with any amount of frozen precipitation.

Needless to say, despite months of planning and marketing for the Bazaar, most people heeded the weathermen’s warnings and stayed home.

But, now that the snow has melted, so has the disappointment over the lower-than-hoped-for turnout. And it’s easier to find the blessings in a bad situation.

First, despite the snow-covered roads and the dangerous driving conditions, we all safely weathered the storm.

Also we were lucky that there were some brave souls who did venture out despite the forecasts of snow. Until the snow got really bad later in the afternoon, there was a steady stream of people who came to support the event.

Then there were our co-vendors. We were fortunate in being able to line up a wide array of participants to our first-time event. All but one showed up, and despite the bad weather, they mostly managed to keep in good spirits. We want to thank all of our participants: Dorothy and Fred Cordova, of the Filipino American National Historical Society; Vance and Violet Noriega of Philippine Cultural and Educational Services; The Ghongpa family, of Tibetan Handicraft Emporium; Seattle Anakbayan; artist Robin Jordan; painter and graphic designer Olivia Zapata; photographer Carina del Rosario; Himanee and Jim Gupta Carlson, of Carlson Photography; bag designer Nelly Mosqueda and her budding entrepreneur granddaughter, Monica; Ruben del Valle, of Markitech Properties; financial counselor and author Art Ceniza; jewelry crafter Anita Lui; Giggles Entertainment; Jan Hata, of International Bling Girls; Alicia Sanchez, of Beauticontrol; Sefie Cabiao, of the International Community Health Services; and Bert Caoili and Dado Saturay, of the Filipino Community Center.

Special thanks to two couples: Carlos and Divina Tablit of Carlos Catering, who kept us all happily fed with delicious Filipino food (a must at any large-scale gathering), and Annette and Angelo Pizarro, who kept us enveloped in amazing music through a long day.

Despite the bad weather, many of our co-participants told us they had a great time: the food, the music, the raffle prizes, the craft activities, the chance to meet and talk to fellow entrepreneurs, and the ability to spend more time with the customers who did show up, made it all worthwhile.

Finally, as with any experience you weather through, there are lessons to be learned. Lesson Number One: Never ever schedule a Christmas event on a snow day in Seattle. And if you find you’ve done just that, surround yourself with people who, despite setbacks, can still have fun.

See all our Christmas Gallery photos!

Want to make your own Christmas Paper Parol? Click here.

Why Archipelago November 24, 2007

:: posted by Ferdinand ::

Back in 2003, when this company was just a fuzzy idea batted around over lunch, it took a while for us to settle on a name. We knew we wanted a name that, in some way, reflected our Philippine roots. But we also wanted a name that allowed us some freedom to venture beyond a strictly mono-cultural identity.

“Archipelago” won out, even though it’s a spelling-bee word that we knew would prove challenging for some. The Philippines, is after all, an archipelago. One of the defining characteristics of the country is that it’s a nation made up of more than 7,000 islands. But, just as important, an archipelago is also any scattered group of similar things.

The particular grouping we wanted to support with our business is the archipelago of like-minded souls who are interested in to preserving Asian American culture and their ties to their heritage. Most of our designs and products are inspired by Asian American or Filipino American culture, and offering products that help others celebrate or honor their culture remains central to our mission.

But if you think of mainstream American culture as the Pacific Ocean, the archipelago of Asian American culture is more like Tahiti than Australia . Asian Americans have never been particularly visible in this vast country.

What does all this have to do with this blog?

Like our website, this blog is a channel through which we hope to reach out, connect and foster our community. But while our website is focused on products that promote a sense of identity, this blog will be focused on building community: creating a space where knowledge, ideas, opinions, random thoughts are shared. And we hope it will be a two-way street, with you, our readers, directly involved in the conversation.

Every blog is really about that: connecting to the outside world. But for most blogs, the bloggers seem content with shouting out into the void. We want to hear from the void. We’ll aim to have weekly postings, and sometimes they’ll be random ramblings, and other times we’ll offer what we hope is useful or interesting information.

We want this blog to be an exploration of Asian America, and we’ll be offering our thoughts on issues as varied as local heroes, to Asian Americans in pop culture, to where to get the best Asian food across the country to our favorite Asian American blogs in the blogosphere.

One of our goals with the blog is to develop a resource that would be useful for Asian Americans and anyone interested in Asian American culture. With that in mind, here’s your first assignment. One of our future blogs will focus on places that are uniquely Asian American. In Seattle, our hometown, we’re lucky to have many such sites: from the Wing Luke Asian Museum to the gravesites of Bruce Lee and Carlos Bulosan. So, dear readers, fill in this blank: When you’re in my town (neighborhood, city, state, etc.), you have to check out ______. (Then tell us where it is and why you’ve nominated this place.) We’ll include them in an upcoming compilation of Essential Asian American Places to Visit Across America.

By sharing information from our own islands of Asian America, maybe the gulf that separates us won’t feel so large..