FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2017
Contact:
Jason Tengco
jason.tengco@naffaa.org
Bing Branigin
bing.branigin@naffaa.org
Tel. 650-867-9837
NaFFAA Celebrates International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month
Washington, DC – The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day today and Women’s History Month throughout March. This month, we celebrate the achievements and contributions of women – including Filipinas – in the United States and throughout the world.
Women of all backgrounds have worked to ensure greater gender equity and access throughout history. NaFFAA proudly celebrates Filipina Americans who have made an impact in their respective fields. The late Angelita Castro-Kelly, who received her master’s degree in Physics from the University of Maryland, was the first female Mission Operations Manager for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) when she assumed control of the Earth Observing System in 1990. Castro-Kelly once said, “I think the best achievement for me was being able to be recognized and be successful in what started out very much as a ‘man’s world.’” She received numerous awards from NASA, and was the 1993 recipient of the Philippine Presidential Award.
In 2010, then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Tani Cantil-Sakauye to become the second female and the first minority Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. She was subsequently elected to serve a full twelve-year term. As the first Asian American and Filipina American Chief Justice, Cantil-Sakauye has described her achievements as simply the result of hard work. The longtime attorney has also shared that “women [have] played such a prominent role in who I am today and I never thought that I was making history or doing anything unusual.”
Photojournalist Cheryl Diaz Meyer, who currently works for the McClatchy News Service as a Visual Editor, is the recipient of several awards for her coverage on the war on Iraq. In 2004, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography with David Leeson. Speaking on her time covering the war, Diaz Meyer said, “I was there to cover the war, I mentally prodded myself. There was no time to write down the pros and cons.”
Filipinas have made a powerful impact on American society in fields as diverse as law, science, media, and beyond. NaFFAA recognizes, applauds, and supports the contributions of Filipinas past and present who fuel the achievements of the future.
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About NaFFAA
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Established in 1997, NaFFAA has been the standard bearer for promoting the welfare and well-being of the 4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. NaFFAA is the largest national affiliation of Filipino American institutions, umbrella organizations, and individuals. Its thirteen-member regions cover the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. NaFFAA’s vision is to serve as the voice of all Filipinos and Filipino Americans by uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse individuals and community organizations around three key areas: leadership development, civic engagement, and national advocacy.
