1993, Spring of Resistance -The Struggle Against RACISM

1993, Spring of Resistance - The Struggle Against RACISM

Levy Abad, January 2, 2016

(Originally published in Ang Peryodiko, February 1-15, 2016, Vol. XIV No. 3)

courtesy of  Winnipeg Free Press (May 1993)     

On May 8, 1993, Saturday, a big campaign against racism and discrimination happened, which was spearheaded by the Filipino community. “The newspaper article of Carol Sanders titled, Rallying Cry- Shoplifting accusation galvanized Winnipeg’s Filipino community to rise up against racism (Winnipeg Free Press, 3/3/2012), referred to an incident that happened on the evening of April 29^th when a grocery store clerk accused Filipinos as thieves,” recalled Pilipino Express editor Emmie Joaquin. A cashier wrongly accused a six year old boy, who was standing in line with his mother, Esmeralda Bautista, of stealing a gum.  The cashier searched the boy’s jacket without the mother’s permission and didn’t find any gum. “When the Superstore cashier realized his mistake, he didn’t apologize but made a racist remark about all Filipinos being thieves that was heard by other customers in line,” Joaquin said.

News of the incident quickly spread in the community. Preparatory meetings were called on April 30 at Juno Street, the office of the Philippine Association of Manitoba (PAM). On May 7, the Filipino Coalition for Human Rights-MB, released a statement titled, “Protest against the unfair conduct of Canadian Superstore” wherein they called for a “peaceful rally” and “massive boycott” mobilization that started from 9:00 a.m. to around 6:30 p.m., according to the members of the Breakfast Club seniors.  In the Juno meeting, it was decided that Fred de Villa will be the overall spokesperson as he was then the chair of the Council of Filipino Organizations of Manitoba (CFOM). In the May 9, 1993 issue of the Winnipeg Free Press front page article titled, “Angry Filipinos Rally” by Larry Kusch, Fred De Villa was quoted saying, “We’re tired of the way society is treating us here.” Felino De Jesus clearly remembers that the members of the Philippine Support Group (PSG), aside from being in charge of making the signs with slogans like “Superstore Superracism!” and “Filipinos are Human Beings Too, Be Fair!,” were among the first ones who arrived at the venue. The person tasked to be the initial speaker was Conrado “Popoy“ Gomez. When numerous members of the community arrived later, members of the PSG blended in with concerned folks and personalities to become a part of the leadership circle, leading to broader participation and mobilization.

Based on some estimates, there were close to 1,500 people who participated in the picket (Danny Gomez). Fred de Villa noted that even folks from other communities symphatized with the Filipinos in this struggle. Church leaders like Father Mark Tarrant of St. Edwards, pastors, the Manitoba Intercultural Council (MIC) and some members of the East Indian community were also present.  Members of the PSG recall that they immediately organized committees to help out in the mobilization. A friend, Sonny Valera, commented that leading personalities of the PSG also held meetings at 809 Arlington Street in the West End to mobilize more people. The impact of the picket protest lasted for a month. People talked about it and it became a mass education for the community. The same article of the Free Press stated that “Wade Williams of the National Black Coalition of Canada, echoing the sentiments of the many Filipino demonstrators, said that the event was not just for the Filipino community, but for all Manitobans who suffer from racism.”

In the thick of the struggle, according to PSG accounts, an organization was born and was comprised of members who joined the boycott. This organization was the Filipino Coalition for Human Rights (FILCOHR) , whose first Chair was Conrado “Popoy“ Gomez and two more officers from the PSG- the Vice Chair and Treasurer /Secretary.  Based on PSG accounts, more or less 200 individuals were present in the election of the officers of FilCOHR (Source: Neri Dimacali). The mandate of the organization was to create awareness on human rights focused on racism and discrimination.

One time, I was talking to Johnny Rodriguez, a long time Filipino Winnipegger, and he told me that groups like Radyo (Radio) 27, 24, 30 and 34  (association of people whose hobby was using CB radio) were also active when the Superstore incident happened and they volunteered as “Peace Marshalls” (Linda Natividad-Cantiveros-Filipino Journal). During that time, there were no cellular phones, and so, radio communication came in handy in coordinating and calling for gatherings.  Even the article of Carol Sanders affirms the power of communication.  In the statement of Emmie Joaquin, she said “I called for a boycott and the listeners did just that.” Emmie Joaquin hosted Good Morning Philippines on CKJS radio when this was happening. She added that “There were public meetings and an eight –hour rally drew more than I000 people to the McPhillips Street Store. Management later apologized for the search, but denied a slur was uttered against Filipinos.” Back in those days, Joe Sulit was still alive, according to Rey Pacheco who also confirmed the role of CKJS in the event. Rey added that during the campaign, they endlessly played patriotic songs like “Bayan Ko/ Nuestro Patria” (My Country), “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” (Love for the Motherland) and “Kay Sarap Mamuhay sa Sariling Bayan” (How Sweet it is to Live in the Motherland).

In the 90s, Filipino population in the city was estimated to be 30,000. Prior to this unfortunate event, Filipinos had already organized forty associations. These associations were reflective of the different regions in the Philippines and mostly based on dialects used.  Outwardly, the community seemed fractious, but ultimately, Filipinos came together to confront crucial issues like racism.  Take note that as early as 1970’s, the community had already organized the PAM, a mainstream Filipino organization comprised of regional associations. In June 8, 1980, another organization was born. It was called Barangay Filipino Organization of Manitoba (BFOM).  By 1983, after the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., a couple of organizations were formed to spearhead the human rights advocacy type and these were the Philippine Support Group (Neri Dimacali) and the August Twenty One Movement- Winnipeg whose founder was Ted Alcuitas. These organizations will eventually prepare the ground for community activism and solidarity in the 1990’s in the form of the Council of Filipino Organizations of Manitoba. Hence, when the Superstore incident occurred “after decades of pent –up frustration with racism” (May 9, 1993, Winnipeg Free Press), all the requisites for a successful campaign were already in place in the community. We already had the numbers, most Filipinos were already organized in different ways, we had a couple of community papers  (Filipino Journal , Philippine Connection ), as well as the  power of media that provided the rallying cry in that historical May 1993 Spring of Resistance.