The University of California, Davis has a long-standing connection with the Filipino community. The Department of Asian American Studies at UC Davis originated from the efforts of students who fought for Ethnic Studies programs in California colleges while supporting Filipino immigrant farmworkers in the Central Valley. The University of California has a historical association with educational institutions in the Philippines and has archived extensive research on the country due to its former status as a U.S. colony from 1899 to 1946.
In 2018, what was formerly known as the Welga Project was officially established as the Bulosan Center for Filipinx Studies in honor of Carlos Bulosan, a notable Filipino American author, activist, and cultural icon. The center aims to continue Bulosan’s legacy by amplifying marginalized voices within the Filipino community in America and the broader diaspora.
As a part of the 2021 Research Conference hosted by the Bulosan Center, UC Davis’ Bridge program, and UC Berkeley’s PASS for Filipino American History Month, cohosts of The Filipino American Woman Project (TFAW) podcast, Jen Amos and Nani Dominguez Smith, were invited to co-author an academic research paper with co-founder of the Bulosan Center, Stacey Salinas, on how Filipina women are shifting culture in modern media. The theme of the conference was Healing, Care, and Resistance. Thus, the research paper titled ‘Pinay Podcasters: Building a Self-Sustaining Community Through Storytelling, Collective Healing & Learning, and Collaboration’ was born.
This community essay speaks to the intergenerational interpretation of retelling Filipino American narratives through practice; podcasting. It documents the origins of podcasting, a milestone timeline of the show’s success, and outlines how these intimate conversations have shifted the cultural narrative of the Filipino American woman by highlighting stories and life lessons told by Pinays*, for Pinays. Jen, Nani, and Stacey would spend the two months leading up to the October conference drafting, editing, and finalizing the paper and preparing to present it in a workshop-style presentation for a virtual audience of over 75 attendees.
This project not only put into perspective how invaluable the show has been to the Filipina American community at large, but also solidified Nani’s decision to take up an official freelance writing career. The three co-authors would split the work up according to their individual strengths; Jen doing the research and collecting facts and data to include, Nani crafting a cohesive narrative in the form of a written draft, and Stacey performing the final edits and citations for publishing. Through this collaboration, she discovered her true passion for writing and a new way to further document information into historical resources her community and future generations can learn from.
The 43-page paper is an anthology of TFAW Project’s success and was presented on Friday, May 28, 2021. Access the replay of the workshop, presentation slides, and Jen and Nani’s post-discussion episode on TFAW Project podcast on pinaypodcasters.com.
*Pinay: a woman of Filipino origin or descent; a Filipina.
