SunshineHow do we honor our "truths" in the face of societal and familial pressures of acceptance?
SF native, educator and artist Sunshine Roque shares her experience navigating her sexual identity and the longing for acceptance from her mother. Thank you Sunshine for inviting us to have these difficult and necessary conversations with our loved ones. |
Food continues to be an integral part of Filipinx culture and is oftentimes a source of healing for our community. Eating together is not only nourishing to the body, but also the mind and spirit. The Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco is excited to host our first-ever, "Kumain at Mag Usap Tayo!" (Tagalog for "Let's eat and talk!") gathering. The Usap Tayo! (Tagalog for "Let's Talk") Social Media campaign is a series of video narratives documenting the mental health journeys of our beloved community members. Through this video series, FMHI-SF hopes to normalize conversations around mental health in the Filipinx and Filipinx American community. This year, we added a second segment to Usap Tayo! filming sessions by hosting a kamayan style brunch for our video participants. Kamayan (Tagalog for "with hands") is the traditional way of eating in the Philippines. "For Filipinos, feeding each other is a way we demonstrate love, and this particular way of eating, [is] literal, tactile way of connecting with what nourishes us and the land it comes from. -Katherine Prince (GABRIELA, Portland, OR). The invitation for participants was to share their experiences on camera and discuss reflections on mental wellness in their respective communities while sharing a traditional Filipinx meal. Thank you to our kasamas at Word on the Street Catering for curating our beautiful kamayan spread and Sine68 for documenting. |
FILIPINO MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE-SAN FRANCISCO
"Together, we can end the stigma of mental health." |