South Bay Filipina Activists Meet Demanding: End Violence Against Women

Filipina Women's Meeting in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of Mark Friedman.

Nearly one-hundred Filipina political activists, organized by the Filipina women’s group Gabriela, held a meeting May 11 in Long Beach. The meeting was overwhelmingly young women concerned about violence against Filipina women in the Philippines, Palestine and the United States.

One Billion Rising 2024 uplifted the strength of collective resistance to violence against women and children, including genocide, militarization and abuse in countries like the Philippines and Palestine. The community empowered each other to resist and protect each other through dance, song, poetry and chants.

The event was fundraised to send Palestinian Youth Movement delegates to the PYM National Conference in May and GABRIELA South Bay delegates to the International Women’s Alliance Assembly in Malaysia this June. This was a joint effort planned and facilitated by GABRIELA South Bay, Long Beach Queers 4 Palestine, and MaskBloc LB.

Welcomed by the organizers the Los Angeles Hands off Cuba committee representative told the crowd about the recent “Labor and Youth Activists” delegation to Cuba, which included LA Filipino activists, the new Cuban “Family Code” giving more rights to women and LGBTQ than anywhere in the world. They are planning reportback meetings early June.

Details: LA.US.HandsoffCuba@gmail.com

Mark Friedman

Mark Friedman is a Socialist, a labor activist, and an educator who has worked with teachers, students, ship's crew to promote marine biology with lessons and hands-on inquiry/investigations aligned to California state biology standards, NGSS & Common Core.