ADECIBELvoices

ADECIBELvoices

By Megan Rummler and Stacy YuSociety & Culture
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ADECIBELvoices episodes

  • Encore Episode: Cheryl Diaz Meyer, Pulitzer Prize-winning Photojournalist

    March 8 is International Women’s Day, a day that helps nations celebrate the elimination of discrimination against women.

    Listen to Cheryl Diaz Meyer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist as she shares intimate details and the inspiration for her recent project with NPR that shines light on the last living “Comfort Women” of the Philippines.

    The “Comfort Women” story was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Yunghi Kim Grant.

    To learn more about Cheryl, her work and future exhibits, visit her website.

    View Cheryl’s photos and read the NPR article on the last living “Comfort Women” of the Philippines.

    Filipina Comfort Women
    Photos by Cheryl Diaz Meyer

    All over the Philippines, in grandiose mansions, schools, hospitals — churches even — women and girls were systematically raped and tortured in military brothels, some as young as 8 years old, as part of Japan’s effort to keep the Japanese Imperial Army soldiers from rebelling during World War II. Assaulted by up to 30 men daily, three quarters of the women did not survive their abuse. Of the estimated 1,000 comfort women in the Philippines, some 40 are still living. Most are physically frail, and some have succumbed to dementia. These portraits and quiet moments capture a story of survivors.

    Lola Pilar Galang is one of the last living Comfort Women of the Philippines. On November 23, 1944, Galang and some 100 other girls and women were taken to the Bahay Na Pula, also known as the Red House, and were systematically raped by the Japanese Imperial Army as they retreated from the country at the end of World War II. Galang was 9 years old at the time of the assaults. Photo taken in Pampanga, Philippines, on Sunday, May 19, 2019.
    Lolas Remedios Tecson, Estela Adriatico, Narcisa Claver’a, Felicidad delos Reyes and Estelita Dy, left to right, were only teenagers when they were sexually enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army soldiers in the Philippines during World War II. Some 1,000 women and girls were used as Comfort Women in the Philippines, while in occupied countries throughout Asia there were 200,000. Three quarters of the women did not survive their harrowing abuse. Photo taken on Sunday, April 28, 2019.
    Lola Maria Estadio Arroyo, 87, was 12 years old when she was sexually enslaved for three months in Roxas City, Philippines, by the Japanese Imperial Army soldiers during World War II. She eventually married David Arroyo and had seven children with him, but he became abusive in his later years, beating her with wooden planks or his fists, until his passing in 1997. In her old age, Arroyo is frail and cared for by her daughter Lolita Arroyo Acuyong. She suffers from a Herpes infection that has destroyed most of her hearing. Photo taken on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.
    “When we arrived to the Red House, I was pushed so hard that I lost consciousness so I don’t recall what happened to me…but even today, I feel the pain in my body,” said Lola Maria Lalu Quilantang, 83, who was 9 years old when her village of Mapaniqui in Pampanga, Philippines, was attacked by the Japanese during World War II. All the men were killed and the women and girls were forced to walk to the Red House carrying the loot that the Japanese soldiers stole from them. The once regal mansion owned by a Filipino doctor was used as a garrison and “comfort station” where the women and girls, some as young as eight, were raped all night by the Japanese Imperial Army. Photo taken on Sunday, May 19, 2019.
    Lolas Pilar Galang and Belen Alarcon Culala, left and right, support each other as they walk through the Bahay na Pula, also known as the Red House. The women were children when their village of Mapaniqui in Pampanga, Philippines was attacked by the Japanese Imperial Army. All the men and boys were killed and the women and girls were forced to walk to the Bahay na Pula, also known as the Red House, carrying the loot that the Japanese soldiers stole from them. The once regal mansion owned by a Filipino doctor was used as a garrison and “comfort station” where the women and girls, some as young as eight, were systematically raped all night. Photo taken on Sunday, May 19, 2019.
    Lolas Isabelita Vinuya, Belen Alarcon Culala and Maria Lalu Quilantang visit in Culala’s home in Mapaniqui, Pampanga, Philippines. The old friends and neighbors grew up together. Mapaniqui was attacked by the Japanese during World War II as they searched for guerrillas. All the men and boys were killed and the women and girls were forced to walk to the Red House carrying the loot that the Japanese soldiers stole from them. The once regal mansion owned by a Filipino doctor was used as a garrison and “comfort station” where the women and girls, some as young as eight, were raped all night by the Japanese Imperial Army. Photo taken on Monday, May 20, 2019.
    46 min
  • Buh-Bye 2020 and Happy New Year Folks!

    Thank goodness for the end of THIS year. Many folks are happy to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021!

    We want to end this year by sharing our blooper reel with you—our listeners—so that together we can be smiling as we look forward and are hopeful for good times ahead.

    Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

    Megan and Stacy

    https://youtu.be/2lZaC_vA-vw

    2 min
  • A Special Update and Happy Thanksgiving

    It’s been a tough year but we are still grateful for you—our listeners—and our guests and supporters. Listen to how we have fared during the past six months during the pandemic and how we need your support now more than ever to move ahead.

    Interested in Becoming a Sponsor? Learn more.

    3 min
  • Meet Megan and Stacy: Full Throttle With the Women behind ADECIBEL Media

    Learn a little bit about Megan and Stacy, co-founders of ADECIBEL Media and the backstory behind their venture.

    Interview Extras

    On Identity

    Fighting the Fight

    Reflecting Back on Season 1

    The Outtakes: Getting Ready

    Photo Extras
    Megan age 2, with her older brother, Thomas. Camp Pendleton, circa 1970s.
    Stacy, age 3, Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD circa 1970s.
    Episode 9. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Megan and Stacy’s episode.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    11 min
  • Dana Tai Soon Burgess: How Dance Promotes Empathy by Exposing the Fragility and Vulnerability​ of the Human Body

    Listen as Dana Tai Soon Burgess, a leading American choreographer, dancer and cultural figure, reveals how growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico incubated his creative force, while serendipity and commitment to his work shaped his flight. Dana is now Smithsonian’s first choreographer-in-residence at the National Portrait Gallery.

    See Dana’s new mini-documentary.

    Interview Extras

    The Power of Dreams

    The Ritual of Dance

    Merging the Physical and Spiritual Worlds

    Reaching Artistic Success

    To Future Artists..

    Outtakes: Battle of the “C”s

    Photo Extras

    Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company performance of “Tracings” at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery on May 4, 2019.

    Episode 8. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Dana’s interview here.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    30 min
  • Davina Durgana, Ph.D.: How Devotion to Community Gives This Statistician Strength​ to Fight Human Trafficking

    Oct. 18th is Anti-Slavery day. Listen as Davina Durgana, an award-winning international human rights statistician, shares how her first mission trip to El Salvador exposed her to the reality of modern slavery. And, it is through this love and devotion to community that gives her the strength to fight this injustice along with some pretty serious mathematical skills.

    For more information on the Global Slavery Index, go to: https://www.globalslaveryindex.org

    Need help? If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call or text the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

    Interview Extras

    Supporting Women in STEM

    The First Glimpse of Modern Slavery

    Consumer Products and Modern Slavery

    How You Can Help

    Episode 7. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Davina’s interview here.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    38 min
  • Leena Jayaswal: Turning the Lens on What Mixed-Race Means in America

    Hear Leena Jayaswal, documentary filmmaker and award-winning photographer talk about how her first camera gave her agency to observe America and its culture from behind the safety of a lens. Listen as she now wields that talent to explore what mixed-race in America means in her new film called “Mixed.” 

    The film is a journey of two moms, one white, one brown, who travel around the country in search of what it means to be mixed-race 50 years after the historic 1967 Loving versus Virginia Supreme Court decision that made interracial marriages legal in the United States.

    Extended Interview

    A Kid and a Camera

    Becoming a Photographer

    The Making of “Mixed”

    Discovering the Stories

    Episode 6. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Leena’s interview here.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    35 min
  • Michael Dumlao: How Activism, Resistance and Radical Authenticity Informs This Branding Expert On His Craft

    Booz Allen Hamilton’s Director of Brand, Michael Dumlao, shares stories of his family’s deep roots in activism and resistance and how leaning into his personal identity of audacious authenticity informs how he tackles both corporate and personal branding.

    Extended Interview

    Resistance, Creativity, and Finding Refuge

    Facing the Challenges of Self-Discovery

    Coming Out

    Becoming Audaciously Authentic

    Branding, Truth, and the Power of Authenticity

    The Keys to Developing a Successful Brand

    Episode 5. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Michael’s interview here.

    Photo Extras
    Michael Dumlao as a child with his family in Manila, Philippines.
    Photo courtesy of Michael Dumlao.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    48 min
  • Alex Huynh: Why This Actor and Stuntman Lives Life to the Fullest

    Hear Alex Huynh, actor and stuntman from “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” share intimate stories about what inspired him to enter the stunt world, what keeps him going, and how his dangerous work has shaped the way he lives his life.

    Interview Extras

    Inside the Mind of a Stuntperson

    Family & Motivation

    It All Began With A Puppet Show

    Lookin’ Fly in the Ao Dai

    The Power of Fear, Discomfort and Vulnerability

    During Break…

    Episode 4. Transcript

    Download the PDF for access to the complete transcript of Alex’s interview here.

    We want to hear from you! Do you like what you hear? Help us bring you the best content. Please fill out our survey, and let us know what you think. Thank you!

    36 min

About ADECIBELvoices

From the publisher's feed

A|DECIBELvoices is a limited series podcast by A|DECIBEL Media, devoted to amplifying Asian American trailblazers front and center—bringing audiences up close and personal with their exceptional…