Building the Movement in the Sunflower State

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Filipino and Filipino American progressives pivoted to online actions and remote organizing work to continue the fight against fascism in the Philippines. Through social media campaigns and Zoom events, organizations like Malaya Movement were opened up to people across the country who hadn’t been reached by traditional organizing work before, like those of us in Kansas.

After months of following news on the Anti-Terror Act of 2020, the Duterte Administration’s pandemic response, and the Philippines Human Rights Act, the Kansas Chapter of the Malaya Movement was established by a small group of friends in Wichita, Kansas, in the summer of 2020. Born digital, Malaya Kansas has retained a hybrid format to connect members in Wichita, Topeka, and Lawrence for monthly chapter meetings, while also holding in-person events whenever possible.

Since its members were initially drawn to the Malaya Movement through learning about the Philippines Human Rights Act, Malaya Kansas immediately joined the national PHRA campaign. In a predominantly conservative and majority-white state, it has been difficult to secure support for the PHRA, but our chapter continues to work on promoting the Act locally as well as nationally. Our first chapter event was a phonebanking session on Zoom, during which people could drop in for help contacting their representatives about the PHRA. We also secured the endorsement of Wichita State University’s Asian Student Conference for the PHRA and shared informational materials on the Act with members of the Filipino American Association of Greater Wichita.

Malaya Kansas also contributes to the national campaign PALAYAIN: Free All Political Prisoners in the Philippines. In our second year as a chapter, we sold lumpia as a fundraising event and were able to raise $231 for the PALAYAIN campaign. Our chapter is currently working on printing a zine about Pinoy punk that will also be used as a campaign fundraiser.

In 2022, Malaya Kansas partnered with the Florida, Georgia, and Texas chapters of Malaya Movement to support actions and online events in the South. We look forward to continuing to work with the Southern chapters in the coming years to educate and mobilize Filipino Americans in our largely rural and conservative regions.

As the only Malaya Movement chapter in the Lower Midwest, Malaya Kansas is proud to represent and work in the interest of an often overlooked segment of Filipino Americans. We have been able to connect with many local organizations and communities in the past three years, and we look forward to continuing to grow, organize, and advocate for human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines from here in Kansas.

In 2023, we are not only celebrating five years of the Malaya Movement—the Kansas chapter is also looking forward to participating in our first in-person Malaya Movement National Summit and Assembly later this year. After three years of working with our friends across the country, we are excited to gather together in one place to celebrate our accomplishments and prepare for the work we have ahead of us.