Holding the line for our stories

As a cultural worker and media practitioner, I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to continue sharing stories of joy, cultural memory and equitable representation in the current moment. Not only in a broad sense of publishing these stories for the masses, but specifically, what it means to hold space for voices like mine, silenced for generations, and face suppression again as societal and political winds shift toward erasure once again.

For context, outside of Rooted, I run its parent company, Bylign, a content and communications agency focused on helping people and organizations connect with underrepresented communities. I also co-founded Mana, a media collective documenting Filipino American history in Alaska through an authentic and culturally sensitive lens. And, recently, I started a personal project, Kadua, to honor and reclaim my Ilokano identity. Running these organizations and carrying out these projects has never been simple, but the current climate brings an all-too-familiar tension and chill. That's especially true now when institutions that once embraced inclusive language now rewrite their standards out of fear they'll lose the only funding streams they have left. Even the most prominent cultural organizations have had to cut staff and programming.

But here's the truth: In times like these, small groups and publications like ours cannot go quiet. Rooted exists to uplift stories about leaders in media, arts and other creative industries because, frankly, there aren't enough spaces where we are celebrated. These are people who form the stories of our communities, and what is documented is what lasts. The old saying goes, "history is written by the victors," but in reclaiming our narratives, we create a richer and more comprehensive history to pass down to future generations.

My work is more than my profession; it's my calling rooted in responsibility to my community. Every project I take on, article I write, exhibit I help curate, client campaign I co-create, is an intentional act of care and choice to protect our stories, becuase I know what's at risk if we don't do this. Our histories will be forgotten. Our voices will be erased. And our traditions become watered down, reduced to superficial footnotes. This responsibility is heavy, but it's what drives me. As culture bearers, our place in the broader conversation is more important than ever, because we don't just share stories to tell stories. We share to pass them forward.

Still, our work's survival in this current climate cannot be dependent on just our personal determination, but on the relationships we nurture. These are the elders who shape our cultural memory, the artists who trust others with their creations, and our communities who band together to keep our projects alive. They are all part of carrying and moving our lineages forward. Being a culture bearer in this moment means gathering what has been entrusted to us and holding the line to make sure it stays intact.

I often imagine the future generations who, I hope, will see the work I create. I think about the young person who'll find one of my articles in a library archive, a creative who sees themselves reflected in the media I produce, or even my descendants who might visit an exhibit at a museum and recognize their history on the wall. This is who I do the work for.

And in the moments when it feels easier to disappear, I remind myself that would be a choice to vanish from the record. Part of my motivation to do any of this work was to ensure we had records in the first place, so quitting is never an option. I am here to make sure our history is written for us and by us, that we are not just mentioned, but we are present with our own words, shared on our own terms.

As Rooted continues to publish our stories, adding to the record of trail-blazing creatives for future generations to be inspired by, my hope is that our body of work is a representation of the threads that connect us. I invite you, our readers, to stay connected, share, and continue to help us grow so we can keep amplifying voices that deserve to be part of history. Your support keeps us rooted.