The Big Picture

November 23, 2007  --  Got something to say?
Print This Post Print This Post

Our Town by Jon Melegrito By Jon Melegrito
Vellie Dietrich Hall may have lost her bid to become Mason District Supervisor but she has gained our admiration. Shes a winner - especially to our community thats been aspiring all these years to become truly empowered. So, yes, we are of course disappointed. But its only a setback, as Vellie herself puts it. Theres much to learn from this experience. And be proud of.

As a marathon runner, Vellie aptly applies the analogy not only to herself but to all of us: There is no shame in falling. There is shame in not getting back up. Today, I got up and dusted myself off and I will get right back on the track again.”
What a spirit! Vellie also sees the big picture. In seeking elective office, she has consciously harnessed the resources and energy of dedicated and hard-working volunteers - many of whom are doing nuts-and-bolts political work for the first time. Indeed, they poured their hearts and souls out in her campaign - making phone calls, talking to friends, raising funds, doing precinct walks, and getting people out to vote.

Empowerment is all about the daily grind of doing something substantive for social change. Its not enough to cry racial discrimination when a TV sit-com, say, insults or offends us. If we havent done our part to be out there in the trenches, rolling our sleeves and raising our visibility by being politically engaged - then we cant complain too much when we get picked on.

And that is the big picture that frames Vellies campaign. Its not only about her getting elected. Its all about us getting personally engaged, staking our claim as Americans with the same passion and perseverance as Vellies, so that we can truly transform this countrys social and political landscape where racial slurs become things of the past.

Count on us, Vellie. We will be right there with you and all the others whom you now have inspired to run the race.
***
Pinay Power 2012. Two weeks ago, one hundred Filipino women - leaders, movers and shakers - were honored during the annual summit of the Filipino Womens Network here in Washington, D.C. Bringing together some of the brightest, powerful Filipinas in the country was unprecedented.

These are women in various fields of endeavor who are shaping our communitys influence in U.S. society. Through their experience and expertise, they are in a very significant and dynamic way changing societys perceptions of Filipinos as a whole.

It was a privilege to meet many of them in person and bask in their presence. Kudos to the host committee - notably Bambi Lorica, Jhett Epp, Annie Wilderman, Jemma Arcega, Bing Branigin - for taking on a very challenging task.

Pinay power, once harnessed, can transform the complexion of board rooms and executive suites, governors mansions and legislative seats, and - why not - the White House itself. By the way, many of our Pinay sisters are very much involved in Hillarys campaign. To them, its more than just seeing a Democrat become president. They see the big picture.

***
And now a word from ABC. Due to the Desperate Housewives incident, NaFFAA leaders are continuing to engage the network in opening doors and developing Filipino talent - in front and behind the camera.

Shortly after ABC apologized and deleted the offensive scene from the premiere episode - which were the only two demands in the Kevin Nadal-initiated petition - the senior vice president for diversity offered to undertake a special outreach program to increase opportunities for Filipinos who are interested in pursuing careers in television (writers, directors, producers, actors, execs, interns) and want access to direct information about ABCs many talent development programs. We agreed to schedule the first meeting on February or March next year in Los Angeles and New York.

As part of this relationship-building dialogue, we met last week with Steve McPherson himself - the president of ABC primetime entertainment - in his Burbank office. Arranged by Karen Narasaki, president of the Asian American Justice Center, the meeting included NaFFAA Vice Chair Rozita Lee, NaFFAA Exec. Director Doy Heredia and Dr. Fred Quevedo, representing the Association of Philippine Practicing Physicians.

McPherson acknowledged that the DH clip was a terrible mistake” and should not have happened. He assured us that scriptwriter Marc Cherry and their Standards and Practices Department, and everyone who needed to be talked to were talked to,” so that such jokes would not happen again.

Dr. Quevedo spoke about the vital role Philippine medical professionals play in this country, that 80 percent of doctors and nurses in the nations hospitals are Filipinos. But we dont see ourselves reflected on the screen,” Quevedo said. Like ER and Greys Anatomy. In addition to being chief surgeons and head nurses, they are also experts on various fields of medicine. They can be called upon, for instance, on national news shows to comment on contemporary issues. On this, McPherson requested us to submit a data base of Filipino talents and expertise. Were always looking at the same ten people all the time, he explained, referring to a relatively small pool of talent, mostly white. We want more diversity, and the key is knowledge more than access.

To this end, he committed to working with NaFFAA to develop an outreach brochure for ABC/Disney programs (funded by the company) specifically targeting the FilAm community, and to get the word out through NaFFAA about the networks various diversity programs.

McPherson also expressed interest in learning more about the Filipino veterans issue and possibly pitching it to Boston Legal (a lawyer show) as a potential story line. We can have a Filipino suing the U.S. government,” he said. He requested that materials be sent to him.

More importantly, McPherson - who has been honored by the Directors Guild of America for his outstanding commitment to and leadership in the hiring of women and ethnic minorities” - committed to continue building on the relationship with the Filipino American community.

To maintain that relationship, NaFFAA is joining the APA media coalition which monitors the networks and rates their diversity programs every year. Interestingly, the Latino Media Council gave ABC an A for making big strides in the portrayal of Latinos in primetime. Narasaki, however, noted that fewer advances have been made on the screen among Asian Americans, let alone Filipinos. Clearly, our work is cut out for us not only to educate the media but to position ourselves inside the industry.

Vida Benavides, a community activist familiar with how corporate media works, puts it bluntly: We can complain all we want to Disney/ABC and other media organizations, but if our community does not back it up with supporting and promoting the next generation of writers, authors, actors, artists, dancers, choreographers, producers and film/studio talent, then who is going to do that for us?

We need to have programs in place to encourage the next generation of artists and writers. Lawsuits, protests, boycotts, letters, calls to the Media and meetings with networks are all vehicles for social change, but with no lasting impact. But for the long term, we need to build a relationship that would enable us to put in place those mechanisms that will ensure our presence in front and behind the camera.”

Engaging corporate media - with its power to influence hearts and minds - requires that we see the big picture. More conversations, and less confrontations, are more likely to open doors and sustain relationships.

If we are truly committed to transforming the complexion not only of corporate media but American societys culture as a whole, then we have to be actively engaged in a constructive way - in the way Vellie ran for public office, in the way Pinay Power seeks to shape our communitys influence, and in the way we harness and direct our collective energy in dealing with racial slurs.
E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com

Share This
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Posted by News Team | Filed Under Our Town 

Comments

Got something to say?





Authentic Diecast Model Cars
Close
E-mail It