Tonight, we think about the things we are thankful for.

[caption id="attachment_249762" align="alignright" width="173"] Aileen Suzara preparing taro leaves[/caption]

We talk with writer, chef, and environmental activist, Aileen Suzara. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas I. Yamashita Prize [1], which goes to a social change activist/scholar whose work serves as a bridge between the academy and the community. 

Collaborating with Filipino Advocates for Justice [2], Aileen supported the launch of Bahay Kubo. Bahay Kubo is a garden in Union City where youth have hands-on experiences in growing and sharing healthy Filipino food. She is an advisory member to FACES, the Filipino American Coalition for Environmental Solidarity [3], and an eco-culinary educator with Sama Sama Cooperative, which works to "reclaim language, culture, and land-based traditions." She is hard at work on Sariwa, a sustainable Filipino foods business that connects traditionally-inspired diets and entrepreneurship as a tool for change.

We also give thanks to the cultural workers out there and feature music from our community. We’ll play tracks from the 18 Million Rising [4]Voices of Our Vote [5]compilation. It features 32 politically empowering tracks by an eclectic mix of Asian American musicians. We also play songs off of Anakbayan Long Beach [6]’s May Day Mixtape fueled by hip-hop.

[1] http://issi.berkeley.edu/yamashita-prize

[2] http://www.filipinos4justice.org/

[3] http://www.facessolidarity.org/

[4] http://18millionrising.org/

[5] http://voicesofourvote.org/

[6] https://anakbayanlb.bandcamp.com/