A victory for Fil-Ams as Steven Raga became first Filipino to hold office in NYS
And a big and exciting announcement!
The elections for the New York Assembly has passed and it made history as the first Filipino-American Democrat, Steven Raga, has been elected to the Assembly to represent District 30. Raga is long-time resident of Woodside, Queens and worked as the chief of staff for current member of the Assembly, Brian Barnwell, in whom Raga is succeeding.
District 30, which Raga will be representing, covers these neighborhoods in Queens: Woodside, Maspeth, Elmhurst, and Sunnyside. According to the Asian American Federation, about 54% of Filipinos reside in Queens, making this borough the highest concentration of Filipino New Yorkers. He ran against Ramon Cando and won, by a landslide, of 70% of votes.
Other than having worked as Chief of Staff for Barnwell, Raga was also the Executive Director for Woodside on the Move, a nonprofit that focuses on social services and advocacy and has done nonprofit work according to his website. A Stony Brook University alumni, Raga is on the board of directors of the Pilipino American Unity and the New York state chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.
With pride and energy, Raga thanked his supporters:
“I am proud to be elected as the first-ever Filipino American Democratic nominee for the New York State Assembly.” he said.
He was amongst those who encouraged the installation of “Little Manila Avenue” in Woodside. As Assembly member, Raga aims to continue supporting the community in Queens through improving housing and infrastructure, advocating for equity in education, and improving the mental health services.
Announcement!
I am so excited to announce that I’m expanding KULTURA into The Kultura Papers, an online and print magazine that aims to tell the stories and experiences of the South, South East Asian, and Pacific Islander communities.
The website www.thekulturapapers.com is up and live now, where you can also buy the first issue of The Kultura Papers! This issue features the work of Erryle Miranda Joshua with his “Balikbayan” photographic series, an expanded feature piece of “Anti-Blackness: Colorism in the Philippines” featuring interviews with Dr. Joanne Rondilla and Franchette “RJ” Zamudio, and a Pinoy Highlight with an interview with Carla, the founder and owner of Butterboy Baking Co. Support The Kultura Papers and its expansion and growth, so it can continue serving the voices of the SSEA/Pacific Islander communities, by purchasing a copy for $9.50!
The content in the Substack archives will also be transferring to the website, along with contributions and submissions from readers and those interested in having a platform to voice their passions and stories, and pieces I’m interested in writing about - the same way I like to write about the Filipino community on the Substack!
In addition, give our Instagram some love by following @kultura.papers. As for the Substack, I am still figuring out whether or not I should keep running it or somehow incorporate it. As subscribers and readers of KULTURA, what do you prefer?