COMMUNITY SESSIONS
MALAYA
MALAYA
Norynne Caleja
she/her
Coordinator, Malaya Movement DC
Family Origin: Claveria + Cagayan
Education: Dual Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Legal Studies, University of Central Florida
Mission Statement: To learn and be amongst the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society in order to empower them to take a stand, raise their fists, and fight for their demands and aspirations in life to those in power.
Inspiration: The migration stories of Filipinos who migrate out of the Philippines in search for better life and seeing them build power through community organizing so that no other migrants and everyday Filipinos will experience discrimination and exploitation!
Ania Ty
she/her
Membership Officer, Malaya Movement DC
Family Origin: Bulacan + Isabela + Camarines Sur
Education: B.S. in Public Policy, Environmental Policy, B.S. in Political Science + Minor in Public Health, Ethnic Studies - Oregon State University
Inspiration: I am inspired by my kasamas and fellow organizers, who show me what it means to practice revolutionary optimism.
Mission Statement: To honor and free my people and myself.
Other Members
Geela Margo Ramos / Batangas
Michael Orense / Bicol
Norynne Caleja / Claveria, Cagayan
Brenda Dimaya / Ilocos Norte
Yan Tagalog / Luca, Cebu
Kim Moya / Teresa, Rizal
Brittany Tabora / Manila
Ces Pascual / Lanao Del Norte
The Filipino-American identity and relationship is unique and has completely shaped me. I am proud to have been born in Bulacan; I am proud to have grown up on the West Coast, home of the multi-racial United Farmworkers Movement and iconic Filipino labor leaders; and organize on the East Coast, directly in Washington, D.C., to confront the core of global fascism.
To be Filipino is to be revolutionary, because my heritage is living proof of hundreds of years of ongoing war, resistance, and struggle; to come from a people whose back refuses to break; to come from a legacy of courage. To me, being Filipino means carrying on the living legacy of anti-fascist efforts in the Philippines and the U.S.
Though Filipino visibility and representation has grown, we must work to elevate the voices of our migrant communities who are often excluded from “Filipino representation.” We are more than dancers and karaoke experts - Filipinos are also caretakers, child care workers, live-in domestic workers and OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), hospitality workers, and seafarers and fisherfolk. Many of these jobs are also undertaken by undocumented migrants and Filipinas.
Filipino voices are diverse and our efforts to advance representation in media, politics, and education must advance and defend the rights of the most exploited among us
-ANIA TY
