This year’s I-Hotel eviction commemoration celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of the groundbreaking book of Filipino-American Literature, “Liwanag”. Liwanag–which means “light” in Tagalog–captured the spirit of the I-Hotel struggle and the Filipino-American Community. The book was groundbreaking, helping to define a Filipino-American literary sensibility. The artists and writers were Filipino Americans–Filipino Americans born in the US–and Filipinos from the Philippines. The book included work by Oscar Penaranda, Jessica Hagedorn, Al Robles, Tony Remington, Lou Syquia, Serafin Syquia, Richard Likong, Judy Talugon, Juanita Tamayo, Presco Tabios and many others. We dedicate this year’s commemoration to the late I-Hotel tenant Pete Yamamoto. The Commemoration will feature photography by Steven Wilson, who captured images of Al Robles, Bill Sorro, among others in our community at a groundbreaking reading at the legendary City Lights Bookstore in North Beach.

Please join the Manilatown Heritage Foundation on Friday, July 27th at 5:30pm for a drop-in kulintang music workshop. Kulintang is one of the indigenous gong traditions of the Philippines that is very percussive, fun to learn and accessible to all music levels. So start your weekend right with some fun group music making!

Kommunity Kulintang is FREE and Family-Friendly!

For more information please visit us at: www.manilatown.org/events or email us at mhf@manilatown.org

Kommunity Kulintang has been made possible in part from a grant from the California Arts Council.

The season premiere of UNDSCVRD, the only Filipino-inspired night market in San Francisco, now in a new location in SOMA Pilipinas.

UNDISCOVERED SF Creative Night Market is a curated collection of emerging artists and merchants that celebrate San Francisco's new cultural district - SoMa Pilipinas! Enjoy local artisans, food vendors, live music/dance performances, and flavor each month.

This year’s I-Hotel eviction commemoration celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of the groundbreaking book of Filipino-American Literature, “Liwanag”. Liwanag–which means “light” in Tagalog–captured the spirit of the I-Hotel struggle and the Filipino-American Community. The book was groundbreaking, helping to define a Filipino-American literary sensibility. The artists and writers were Filipino Americans–Filipino Americans born in the US–and Filipinos from the Philippines. The book included work by Oscar Penaranda, Jessica Hagedorn, Al Robles, Tony Remington, Lou Syquia, Serafin Syquia, Richard Likong, Judy Talugon, Juanita Tamayo, Presco Tabios and many others. We dedicate this year’s commemoration to the late I-Hotel tenant Pete Yamamoto. The Commemoration will feature photography by Steven Wilson, who captured images of Al Robles, Bill Sorro, among others in our community at a groundbreaking reading at the legendary City Lights Bookstore in North Beach.

Your favorite Filipino American punk festival is happening again!

Doors open at 5pm
Music starts at 6pm sharp

Join SOMA Pilipinas and your barangay on Saturday, May 19 from 11 AM to 4 PM for the 25th Annual Barrio Fiesta at the Gene Friend Rec Center on 6th and Folsom Street. This year's theme, HEALTH IS WEALTH, will present a family-friendly program aimed at helping everyone in our community live a more fit and wholesome lifestyle! All are welcome!

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) holds its annual SF festival featuring a whopping 20+ Filipino American films/filmmakers covering a range of genres. To celebrate this history making amount of Filipino representation in the CAAM’s 36th Film Festival, we invite the community to an after party to meet the faces behind this year’s films elevating our culture and narratives.

Join us at SPARK SOCIAL FOOD PARK for:

• A meet and greet with featured CAAM filmmakers

• Sneak peek of the summertime return of the Undiscovered Creative Night Market

• Specials by local Filipino food business owners!

THE FIRST 30 TO RSVP WILL RECEIVE A GIFT BAG FILLED WITH EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE! CLICK BELOW TO RSVP NOW!

• COMMUNITY RSVP

• CAAM FEST FILMMAKER RSVP (password required)

Hey SOMA Pilipinas!

Gather with the barangay at 7PM on Wednesday, May 16 at the Kabuki Theatre in Japantown (1881 Post) for three very special short films presented by Kularts SF -- the film debut of Alleluia Panis' She, Who Can See, presented alongside the stunning community documents Borja Family Home Movies by Wilfred Galila and Rico, SOMA Pinoy by Alleluia Panis.

Featuring a live score and performance by SOMA Pilipinas artist DIRTY BOOTS band, the evening represents a wide scope of the people who are SOMAPilipinas! Join us and celebrate the stories, histories, and organizations that sustain our Cultural Heritage District!

LAST WEDNESDAY IN MARCH!
Join Filipino tech industry professionals at the FREE FilipinosIn.Tech Community Coding Workshop, March 28 from 5 - 9 PM at Twitter's Neighborhood Nest (95 Hayes @ Polk).
 

Develop job skills, build your family's passion, and prepare for careers in tech! Connect with a diverse network of mentors, creatives, developers, and entrepreneurs, and help the Filipino community grow! RSVP NOW!

Kids Coding Session

5:00p - 5:15p: Checkin
5:15p - 6:15p: Hour of code lesson

Adult Coding Session

6:45p-7:00p: Check-in
7:00p - 8:00p: Hour of code lesson

We're down to our LAST THREE workshops of this year! But, we're really excited to introduce our TWO NEW workshops on 3/17/18 at Bayanihan Center, featuring:

Silkscreening with Pamela Ybanez: Instead of wearing a design made by someone else, you be the designer! Bring a design in mind, or create one in the class. Students must bring their own cotton shirt, all other materials will be provided.

AND

Introductory Tagalog with Lydia Neff: Learn basic Tagalog!

Join SOMA Pilipinas presenters MC Canlas and Gene Alejo at the historic Old Mint to discuss the migration, activism, culture, and organizational spirit of the working class, artists, activists, youth, and families who contribute to the thriving spirit of SOMA Pilipinas, the vibrant Filipino community in today's South of Market!

This Friday! Join local artist Nancy Hom at KSW (1246 Folsom) for a special community workshop. Share a piece of your creative spirit that will be displayed as part of Nancy's new mandala about Kearny Street Workshop, celebrating its 45th year.

This month's Kularts sampler will be hosted at Bayanihan Community Center (1010 Mission Street), and features two workshops with talented local Pinoy artists.

Isugid Pinoy’s Don Aguillo & Raf Salazar will share some tricks and tips to help you create your own illustrations with their Graphic Storytelling Workshop, and the HILARIOUS Joe Cascasan will follow-up with an Improv Workshop. We guarantee it’ll be filled with a lot of laughs and you’ll learn a lot about the art of improvisation.

Join YOHANA and FMHI SF on Friday, February 16th at Bindlestiff Studio (185 6th Street) for an Ignite Open Mic -- an exciting evening of poetry, storytelling, music, and more!

This event EXCLUSIVELY features work from SOMA community members, including youth, students, and emerging artists.

Want to perform? Contact yohana@somcan.org, or use Instagram to DM @yohana94103.

Across the globe, the hxstory of colonization has resulted in the exploitation of indigenous cultures, the erasure of hxstory, and the denial of second class narratives. The effects of colonization continue to permeate our society, our politics, and our art --- but art is also our weapon in this war. 

For centuries, our ancestors used music, song, art preserve the stories of our culture. Music, especially, has been a way for people of color to speak truth to power, to let our narratives take center stage.

On February 16, we're telling OUR truths, and re-indigenizing the musicscape! DJ Glo will be spinnin' slaps into the night, so come dance with us! Step up on stage for our open mic, share your music and your message. After KaTrina Liwanag closes the open mic with a magical set, we're keeping the party going with a powerful performance by headliner Boondock Squad. 

Join Bindlestiff Studio for an update on the status of the theater, followed by a preview of their calendar for 2018 and an overview of SOMA Pilipinas' progress thus far in the new year. February's agenda will be headlined by a townhall on sexual harassment. Learn how we can continue to make our barangay a safe space for everyone in the community!

For more info, please contact us at info@somapilipinas.org.

Get to know Migrante SOMA/TL in 2018! Migrante is a grassroots organization working in neighborhoods across the Bay Area to empower and organize immigrants and workers. Stop by Bayanihan on January 30 to learn more about Migrante's awesome mission, upcoming events, and plans for the year. For more info, please contact us at info@somapilipinas.org.

Interested in creating your own shadow puppet creature? Maybe illustrating your own character? OR even cooking some delicious Pilipino dishes?

If so, check out Kularts' Workshop Sampler on SAT JAN 27!  Reserve your spot today & sign-up via wufoo.

Thank you to everyone for your continued efforts in our A Place We Call Home signature-gathering campaign! This Saturday, January 27th, we are asking folks to please return all your signature gathering booklets. We need to start submitting them to the Department of Elections for processing. We will be tabling at a pop-up art and fashion event at Pentacle Coffee & Oros Gallery (at 64 6th Street. SOMA SF) from 11 am - 3 pm.