Filipino American National Historical Society to host cultural symposium

FILIPINO AMERICAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO HOST CULTURAL AWARENESS SYMPOSIUM


Virginia Beach, VA, June 9, 2009 - Nationally-recognized entertainers 
Boogie Bots of "America's Best Dance Crew", singer/actress Stephanie Reese,
and jazz guitarist Angelo Pizarro will join the Filipino American National
 Historical Society-Hampton Roads (FANHS-HR) chapter for its first Filipino American community symposium, "Sige: Our Moment is Now." The community event will facilitate networking, community empowerment and cultural understanding between Filipino American generations. The three-day event will be held from July 1-3, 2009, at Virginia Wesleyan College, Virginia Beach.

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Sige: Our Moment is Now" aims to establish dialogue between multiple generations of Filipino-American individuals, organizations, and those interested in the betterment of the Filipino-American community by providing a forum to exchange insight, current issues, and resources.

“The symposium will help Filipinos and those of Filipino mixed-race to better understand the contributions of Filipinos to the history of the United States," says Jeffrey Acosta, former curator of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk.

Approximately two million Filipinos live in the United States with Virginia being the 9th largest Filipino populated state. Filipinos spread out all over the state of which Virginia Beach alone has the highest concentration of Filipino residents.

“Bringing this conference to the East Coast has been long overdue,” says Edwina Bergano, co-founder of the Filipino American National Historical Society-Hampton Roads chapter.


Workshops will explore the lifestyle clashes between Filipino American generations; Filipino American's relationships with the Philippines; immigration waves to America; issues connected to interracial relationships and more.

Nightly entertainment showcases will include performances by b-boy and hip hop dance crew, Boogie Bots, from Season 2 of MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," singer and actress Stephanie Reese who has starred in "Miss Saigon" and as Esmerelda of Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," as well as improvisational acoustic and electric guitarist Angelo Pizarro, who mixes traditional Filipino rhythms with funk and rock.



Activists and founders of the Filipino American National Historical Society, Drs. Fred and Dorothy Cordova of Seattle, Washington, will also be speaking at the summer symposium. Since the 1950's, the couple have been promoting
awareness and the importance of Filipino American historical documentation, 
as well as researching and collecting the stories of Asian Americans.



"For the first time in a long-time, folks on the East Coast are going to
have the opportunity to meet the founders of the Filipino American
movement, which started in Seattle on Aug. 18,1971" says Dr. Allan
Bergano, co-founder of Filipino American National Historical Society-
Hampton Roads chapter. “There will be a wealth of information at one time and one 
place.”



"Sige: Our Moment is Now," is being hosted by the Filipino American National
Historical Society, Hampton Roads (FANHS-HR) along with entertainment
hip-hop troupe Young Filipino American Modern Dancers (YFAMD) and the Young Filipino Professionals (YFP).

FANHS-HR is responsible for documenting the immigration experience of the Filipino nurses and U.S. Navy men 
to the East Coast through two oral history projects, "In
Our Aunties' Words: The Filipino Spirit of Hampton Roads" and "In Our
Uncles' Words: We Fought For Freedom.

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For more information including registration fees, visit http://www.fanhs-hr.org/Symposium or contact Edwina and Allan Bergano at (757)497-2988.

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