Briefly explain what your Staff Organization does or its mission:
Our mission is to build community among and beyond Filipinx and other marginalized groups on campus and advocate for social justice issues through a decolonized framework.
How does your Staff Organization benefit UC Berkeley staff?
Our organization aims to:
- Foster relationships between students, staff, faculty, and other organizations
- Promote educational opportunities and create space for Filipinx culture and history
- Provide professional development opportunities
- Establish allyship with other marginalized groups on campus
How can UC Berkeley staff get involved with your Staff Organization?
Please send an email to our SPA account (Filipinx-FSA@berkeley.edu) to be added to our listserv, where you can learn more about opportunities to engage with our FFSA community, and follow us on Instagram at @FilipinxFSA_Berkeley.
To kick off Filipino American History Month and as a welcome back to campus for the new academic year, please join us for the first-ever FFSA & Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter (PAAC) joint Sama-Sama Tailgate at Homecoming on October 7, 2023! We invite you to come together (magsama-sama or sama-sama in the Filipino language) and celebrate our Filipinx community at Cal! In the spirit of PAAC’s longstanding tradition of hosting a homecoming tailgate, PAAC and our newly formed FFSA have joined forces to create a new iteration of our homecoming gathering during Filipino American History Month. We welcome all Cal alums, faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and their families to attend this event. REGISTER at: bit.ly/CalSamaSama
In what kinds of events and/or outreach does your Staff Organization engage in?
COMMUNITY-BUILDING & ALLYSHIP PROGRAMS
- First-ever FFSA & Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter (PAAC) joint Sama-Sama Tailgate at Homecoming on October 7, 2023
- FFSA organization kick-off lunch in October 2022
- Halo Halo Social & Fundraiser in partnership with APASA in May 2023
- Partnership with and support of the Council of Ethnic Organizations (CESO)
PROMOTING FILIPINX CULTURE & HISTORY
- Co-sponsor of “History, Memory, and the Artistic Imagination” panel with Jessica Hagedorn and Gina Apostol moderated by Fritzie de Mata in October 2022 with {m}aganda magazine and PAAC
- Co-host for Philippine Congressman Raoul Danniel Abellar Manuel and his talk on “Youth Spaces of Struggle: from classrooms, to the streets, to congress” in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Filipino language program and APASD
SUPPORTING CAL FILIPINX FACULTY & STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS:
- Pilipinx American Student Orientation (PASO)
- PilGrad, Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN), and Filipino language program events
- HAUPIAA Cal Athletics AAPI events
REPRESENTING FILIPINX FACULTY & STAFF SYSTEMWIDE:
- Contributed to the first-ever VC's office of Equity & Inclusion email recognizing Filipino American History month campus-wide in October 2022
- Participated in UC Systemwide AAPI Staff Symposium in March 2023
- Contributions to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May 2023
What’s the best part of being in this Staff Organization?
Community has always been a significant aspect of Filipinx/a/o culture, and Berkeley’s Filipinx Faculty & Staff Association doesn't fall short in ensuring that community is showcased, whether that's through empowerment, advocacy, cultural awareness, or networking. It provides faculty and staff at Berkeley a sense of belonging, and since FFSA's founding last year it has consistently provided a space for both emotional and professional support.
Another highlight of being part of FFSA has been our ability to partner with not only other staff affinity groups, but also the Filipino/a/x undergraduate, graduate, and alumni communities. Being part of an affinity group at such a large academic institution like Berkeley is invaluable, as it allows not only faculty and staff, but also partners of the organization to better understand diverse perspectives.
Name one thing you learned by being part of this Staff Organization?
First and foremost, we discovered that there are 450+ Filipinx/a/o identifying faculty and staff at Berkeley. This equals 450+ opportunities to 1) connect and engage with one another on so many levels, 2) amplify our collective voices to advocate for our unique needs, and 3) recognize and tell the story of our community’s contributions and deep history on campus since its inception 155 years ago. The endless possibilities in building this community is inspiring!
What are your Staff Organization's current and future goals?
As a relatively new organization, our current goals are to build our association’s infrastructure and community. In the last year, we’ve focused on hosting community events to build relationships on and across campus, and setting up an organizing committee structure to create a solid foundation for future planning. In the next year, we are looking forward to connecting with and learning more about each other and connecting the FFSA to the rest of our Cal Filipinx community (students, alumni, allies) and our history at Cal.
Where can people find out about your Staff Organization?
People & Culture website: https://stafforg.berkeley.edu/staff-organizations/identity-based-staff-orgs/filipinx-faculty-staff-association or visit our Instagram account @FilipinxFSA_berkeley.