Tuloy Po Kayo

Please come in, join us, and engage in our Filipino community dialogue…

A warm welcome to you, our readers from Maui and elsewhere. We hope you will enjoy the launching of Fil-Am Voice, our monthly publication to keep you connected to what it means to be a Filipino in our local community, and also in other places around the globe, where Filipinos live and contribute the best of us to humanity.

Here we will share our continuing history. The past was driven by hope for a better life that brought our ancestors from the comfort of the homeland to America, as seen in the trials and challenges faced by those who answered the recruitment calls for laborers. The present is a witness to the many, resounding triumphs of their children, known as the Sakada legacy.

The future opens before us. We are at another threshold, yet only a glimpse into the dreams of our youth, as they embark on unseen, still unfolding pathways, to forge their impact in a new world of Filipino-Americans.

As we think together about our past and analyze our presence in today’s life stream, we must identify our contributions to society in terms of how and what we can do better. How can we offer and channel our individual and collective gifts and talents to be of higher and greater service to others? What must we change in order to more successfully guide our youth? How do we instill a shift in priorities for parents, who choose to take on a third job instead of giving that time to enjoy and care for their young ones? What must we do to dramatically modify the collage of faces on campuses across our islands, so that Filipinos are found as often in classrooms, studios, administrators’ offices, counseling teams, onstage, and libraries, as they are in  food service, office services, and the maintenance of grounds and buildings?

We are hopeful that you will include your voice in our future publications, that something in these pages will touch your heart and spirit, and that somewhere in the words and visuals, will awaken a stirring inside, of pride in being Filipino and American.

Finally, should you have any issues, concerns, ideas, or questions for us to consider, and celebrations you wish to share with our community, please feel welcome to contact any staff member.

Until next time, our warmest mabuhay to all of you.