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Vina Orden

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My mother took my younger sister and me to our first protest against the Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, in February, 1986. I was seven years old and didn’t know then that we were part of a human barricade that blocked the Philippine Army and its fleet of armored tanks from entering and wresting control of our town of #Baguio . Until I became an activist, I didn’t get why parents would take their children along to battle. Now, I can imagine what it’s like to live under Martial Law, to be stripped of one’s rights and liberties, and to live each moment in existential fear. Some people don’t have a choice but to fight or to die trying. . This poem is a dalit, a short form of indigenous #Pilipino #poetry, reappropriated by Spanish friars to convert indigenous people to Catholicism. I’ve collected dalits I’ve previously written and will continue to add to The Dalit Project series on Medium (link in bio; you can opt for a push notification every time I add a new dalit). If you like what you read, please "clap" for the story (once, twice, as many times as you'd like!)—it's how others can find my work! . #ControlAltDalit #RememberEDSA #EDSA34 #LabananAngDiktadura

Earlier this month, the Duterte government conducted raids in Tacloban City, #Philippines which resulted in the illegal arrests & detention of the "Tacloban 5": Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has reported on military attacks against civilians in Eastern Visayas for the independent media organization @altermidyanetwork ; Marielle Domequil of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Eastern Visayas; & youth activists from progressive organizations—Alexander Abinguna of Katungod Sinirangan Bisayas–Karapatan, Mira Legion of Bayan-Eastern Visayas, & Marissa Cabaljao of People Surge Network. . Domequil & Legion were recent graduates of the UP Visayas and served on the UPV Tacloban Student Council and the University Student Council, respectively. They also were members of the women's rights alliance, Gabriela Youth. Cabaljao was arrested along with her one-year-old baby when the police and military raided their office, claiming it was a safehouse for “communist terrorist groups” (the baby has since been released to Cabaljao’s relatives). . Defending #pressfreedom and advocating for #humanrights and #landrights are not crimes. Activists calling for government accountability in the midst of natural disasters and soaring economic inflation are simply doing their civic duty. Please consider: -Donating to the Tacloban 5 Bail Fund (link shortcut on graphic) -Signing the Petition for their release (link to change.org petition on fundraising page)

For @nypl ‘s 125th Anniversary, people are invited to submit titles of #books that made them #lovereading . A few things became apparent as I thought about this: - I’ve spent the last 3 decades reading a “canon” of mostly white, male writers (admittedly falling in love with books such as #WilliamSomersetMaugham ‘s OF HUMAN BONDAGE, #PhilipRoth ‘s AMERICAN PASTORAL, & yes, #DavidFosterWallace ‘s INFINITE JEST) - #Reading is a lifelong love affair, where we fall in and out of love with authors & books, as well as discover new loves -At the beginning of a new decade, I find myself reading more books by #women #writers of color. Perhaps it’s a conscious remedial of the canon, or simply that I’ve fallen in love with our #ownvoices and now deeply understand why #representationmatters . So, in the midst of #BlackHistoryMonth #amreading #ToniMorrison ‘s BELOVED. I recall reading THE BLUEST EYE in high school & being so traumatized by it that I couldn’t return to Morrison until years later, after college, when I picked up SULA. In retrospect, I probably wasn’t exposed pedagogically or was in a state of ignorance and/or willful denial about #SystemicRacism and #injustice to receive Morrison’s wisdom & truth. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to read her work now with greater appreciation for her insights into the human condition. . #decolonizeyourbookshelf #fiction #literature #pocbooks #pocauthors

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