By Ed Diokno
Views From The Edge
A Filipina American journalist has launched a podcast series exploring the immigration of Filipinos to the United States, reports Colorlines.
Paola Mardo, an independent audio reporter and producer, released the first of the Long Distance podcasts this week, just in time for Filipino American History Month.
“In 2016, I began working on an audio project about Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown,” Mardo wrote on the podcast’s website. “But after extensive interviews and research, and through my work as a journalist, I saw a great need to tell thoughtful, well-reported audio stories about my community.
“That’s how Long Distance got started,” she added.
Decided it was fitting to launch on Manila time so the first episode of #LongDistanceRadio is here! On this episode: An alleged hate crime. El Dorado. And the deep, dark history of Filipinos in America. Find it in your podcast feed or https://t.co/6q6Il4uU7D. #FAHM #FAHM2018 pic.twitter.com/KIs332Nw6F
— Paola Mardo (@paolamardo) October 15, 2018
Filipinos began immigrating to the United States in great numbers in the first years of the American empire. Ever since then, Filipinos have been arriving in greater and greater numbers to the point that they are the third-largest Asian American community, behind Chinese Americans and Indian Americans. In California and Hawaii, Filipinos form the largest Asian community.
“As a child of the diaspora, I’ve always been interested in stories about people in new places and finding ‘home,’ wherever that may be,” wrote Mardo.
In the first episode of Long Distance, Mardo visits the Little Manila Center in Stockton, California. The center recently experienced vandalism and the death of co-founder and activist Dawn Bohulano Mabalon.
The episode focuses on the city’s deep-rooted Filipino community and the discrimination that Filipino immigrants, especially single Filipino men who came to the U.S. to work, experienced during the early 20th century. Listen up!
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.