BAYANIHAN

at UC Santa Cruz

Bayanihan is a student-led organization at UC Santa Cruz.

“Bayanihan” directly translates to “community” in Tagalog. The term is derived from the traditions in rural areas of the Philippines where community members would come together to help physically pick-up a community member’s house and help relocate it. The act of “Bayanihan” represents coming together in order to accomplish something that may seem impossible to help fellow community members. The term “Bayanihan” hopes to foster the community we strive to be.

We invite you to give whatever input you can in Bayanihan by participating when and where you are able. Your individual support is valuable and essential if the needs of our community are to be truly addressed and given a voice.

OUR MISSION:

"The mission of Bayanihan is to be a support organization that promotes unity and empowerment through the awareness of our diverse community. It strives to be a cultural resource for the community as well as to foster open forum based on mutual respect and understanding. Bayanihan works to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the Filipino and Filipino-American experience through meetings and events that explore our identity, history, and culture."

FAQ

What happened to FSA?: In the ’15-’16 school year, Pilipinx/Pil-Am organizations (e.g. Northern California Pilipinx Student Alliance, Southern California Pilipinx Student Alliance, Bay Area Pilipinx/Pil-Am organizations, and many other collegiate organizations around the nation) and FSA core representatives within the UCSC community were in discussion about the term Pilipinx.

Pilipinx allowed for more inclusivity and the decolonization of the term Pilipino/-a. There is no “F” in the Tagalog alphabet and the “P” was used in order to create the “F” sound in “Pilipino.” As a result of colonization, people used the term “Filipino” instead of “Pilipino” arguing that the “P” does not make the “F” sound. As a form of decolonizing the word “Filipino,” Pilipinx/Pil-Am communities decided to encourage the use of “Pilipino” once again. More action was needed to be done other than using the term Pilipinx. Programming within the Filipino Student Association was becoming more social and less political and cultural. The term was only the beginning of the change necessary to becoming even more inclusive and supportive of the community’s needs.

The “X” in Pilipinx allows for inclusivity for those that do not conform to the gender binaries that “Filpino” (-o) or “Filipina” (-a) would imply. Folx within the LGBTQIA community reached out because of the lack of acknowledgement for their identities within our space. This drove core to better incorporate the use of Pilipinx within our community. The late FSA core ’15-’16 used the term for the purpose of inclusivity and for educating others on this piece of Pilipinx/Pil-Am history and staying true to Pilipinx/Pil-Am culture. As FSA core ’16-’17 further discussed the term, it felt ironic to encourage the use of Pilipinx, yet still call the organization “Filipino Student Association.” With political changes in leadership and policies making our community feel unsafe, LGBTQIA folx feeling left unheard and unrepresented with the lack of consideration in their identities, and with our organization losing its purpose as it solely focused on social aspects, change needed to happen. There was a lack of consistency as the community was encouraged to use Pilipinx yet our own name still used “Filipino” and it was hypocritical to say one thing and do another. This sparked the conversation of the name change. Or rather, revisit the name change conversation again.
Where is the Bayanihan Office located?: The Bayanihan office is located in the Redwood Lounge above the Student Union Association (SUA) office. It is the building across from the UC Santa Cruz Bay Tree Bookstore.
Do I have to be Pilipinx to join?: No you do not! Anyone is welcome in our community!
When are your meetings?: Unlike most orgs on campus, we do not have weekly meetings. We typically have a few general body meetings and community gatherings per quarter.
How do I get involved?: Join our facebook page! You can see all important announcements and upcoming events there! Once you go to our events, you can come talk to any core member (or any Bayanihan member actually) to further find out how and what you can get involved in.

Bayanihan Instagram Feed