October is Filipino American History Month, which commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental U.S. To learn more about Filipino culture, The Daily sat down with Andrew Bolognese, president of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 .
The student group, led by six officers, aims to provide the university community with a taste of Filipino culture by promoting and highlighting the values and traditions that make the Philippines unique. Bolognese said the group is open to students of any background who wish to learn more about Filipino culture or share in their stories鈥攁nd, of course, for Filipinos to explore their own history.
He believes the Filipino Student Union at 黑料吃瓜网 has allowed for his culture to be shared with people who probably don鈥檛 know much about it.
鈥淥utside of major cities and the West Coast, Filipinos are not really present in communities or are in very small numbers,鈥 he explained. 鈥淸Our group] being in one of these very traditionally low-represented areas gives our culture the attention that it deserves.鈥
Earlier this semester, group members hosted their first event to welcome students to Cleveland and 黑料吃瓜网, where they served a Filipino-style breakfast with foods like pancit noodles鈥攐ften described as Filipino chow mein.
鈥淢y favorite event we ever did was when we ate in a Filipino style called 鈥榢amayan,鈥 where there's an elaborate table set up with banana leaves where everyone eats with their hands, no utensils at all,鈥 Bolognese said. 鈥淥bviously, we cannot have an event like this during a pandemic, but I do hope that we could feasibly do this event before I graduate.鈥
To celebrate Filipino American History Month, group members are hosting an event from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall鈥檚 interactive classroom. They鈥檒l be giving away Halo Halo, a Filipino dessert made of ice cream, shaved ice and various toppings.
鈥淲hat I really enjoy is that most of the people that attend our events are not actually Filipino鈥攖hey鈥檙e students who want to learn about our culture,鈥 Bolognese noted. 鈥淪tudents like the foods we serve and we have found this to be a nice gateway into Filipino culture.鈥滾earn more about and how you can get involved with the at 黑料吃瓜网.
