Queens Memory podcast releases Tagalog episode

The season features bilingual episodes in the most widely spoken Asian Languages in Queens: Bangla, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Tagalog, Tibetan, and Urdu.

QUEENS, NY – Community archiving program Queens Memory, supported by Queens Public Library and the Queens College Library, released the bilingual episode of its latest podcast, “Our Major Minor Voices” in English and Tagalog versions on Monday, May 16.

“Seeing Signs” (English)/”Tanáw” (Tagalog), produced by Rosalind Tordesillas, covers the history and challenges of the Filipino community in Woodside, as it strives for greater visibility.

It features residents, business owners, and community leaders, including Jaclyn Reyes of Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts, Zenaida and Joe Castillo of Phil-Am Food Mart, and Steven Raga of Woodside on the Move.

An in-person listening event will be held at the Woodside library branch, 54-22 Skillman Ave, Woodside, NY 11377, on May 19th, 6:00-7:30 pm with Jaclyn Reyes, Joe Castillo, and Potri Ranka Manis Queano Nur as featured speakers.

This season documents the experiences of the borough’s diverse Asian communities in their own voices, and includes eight bilingual episodes representing the most widely spoken Asian languages in Queens: Bangla, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Tagalog, Tibetan, and Urdu.

“In this season, we wanted to focus on Asian American communities in Queens because we know that the accomplishments and the struggles of our Asian American neighbors are often not as visible in the media landscape as they ought to be,” said Queens Memory Project Director, Natalie Milbrodt.

“The interviews our producers conducted during this project will become part of the Library’s permanent archives, helping us add perspectives and languages not yet well represented in our Queens Memory collection consisting of over 900 interviews. Future researchers curious about the lives of Asian Americans living in Queens way back in 2022 will be so glad we did this project.”

Rosalind Tordesillas, producer of the Tagalog episode, said, “It’s been a joy to produce this episode in Tagalog and immerse myself in the language so much more deeply than I’ve had a chance to in so long. It’s important that people can tell and hear their stories in words that feel most comfortable.”

The season premiered on April 11, 2022 on the Queens Memory website. New episodes are released weekly and are available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms. (Visit queensmemory.org/podcast for episodes and show notes.)

The first season of the Queens Memory podcast focused on Memories of Migration, while the second one documented life in Queens during COVID-19.

The third season of the podcast has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

About Queens Memory

Queens Memory is an ongoing community archiving program supported by Queens Public Library and Queens College, CUNY.