Honored in NYC and LA, Randy Gener celebrates Fil-Am History Month in performance

Los Angeles City Hall and FANHS Metro NY presented Gener with Outstanding Artist Awards

By Philippine Times of Southern Nevada

Fil-Am Heritage Achievement Award winner and FANHS Outstanding Artist Award winner Randy Gener is celebrating the close of a historic month in the throes of performance.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 6-9pm, Gener is a featured performer in “Closing Ceremony: A Night to Honor Joe Bataan,” a unique event organized by the Filipino American National Historical Society Metro NY Chapter.

This FANHS tribute, emceed by Michelle “Mochi” Camaya (The Lion King, Bravo’s Step it Up), will be held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (524 59th Street bet. 10th/11th Ave). Other performers include Ryan “Hydroponikz” Abugan (Hip Hop Emcee) and Liz Cassasola (Broadway Barkada).

A New York-based editor, writer and artist, Randy Gener has great reasons to celebrate in the month of October, declared from coast to coast as Filipino American History Month. The Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE) awarded Gener with the 2012 Fil-Am Heritage Awards for Arts/Literature and Media at Los Angeles City Hall. Gener was also awarded Certificates of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles and the California State Senate, as well as a Commendation from the County of Los Angeles.

Headed by Cora Aragon Soriano, LAFACE is the only Filipino-American employee organization in the City of Los Angeles. LAFACE presented Fil-Am Heritage Achievement Awards to Filipino Americans from around the country who, in its estimation, “helped shape the last 425 years of Fil-Ams in the United States.”

In addition, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Metro NY chapter presented Gener with 2012 Outstanding Artist Award during its annual FANHS Community Leadership Awards and Opening Ceremony event, held in October at the Philippine Consulate General Center in New York.

Gener is deeply honored to sing the praises of the great musician Joe Bataan who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at “Closing Ceremony.” Bataan, also known as the King of Latin Soul, is best known for his musical mashup of Boogaloo, Latin Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Salsa, Disco, Latin Funk, Latin R&B, Latin Jazz and rap. Born and raised in Spanish Harlem in 1942 to an African-American mother and Filipino father, he changed the face of music forever.

Gener, a nominee for 2012 The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York Award (Media/Publishing category), is no stranger to the stage. He recently performed his own original writing in “Tagalogue,” an evening of theatrical performances at the world-famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe. A playwright, director and critic. Gener is the founder of in the theater of One World (theaterofOneWorld.org), a global media project; the US editor of Critical Stages (criticalstages.org), an international performing-arts journal, as well as curator/organizer of Filipino Mundo-NYC, a Meetup group of performing/visual artists and young Fil-Am professionals in changing New York venues (http://www.meetup.com/FilipinoMundo-NYC).

Admission is free for “Closing Ceremony: A Night to Honor Joe Bataan” (although donations are quite welcome and will help sustain future cultural and educational programs and events). Light refreshments will be served. Please also consider becoming a member of www.fanhs-nyc.org. If you have questions please email: fanhs.mny@gmail.com