Gathered in Unidad Park on April 11, a native american group chanted with feathered headdresses and beaded wraps. They moved to the beat of hard-hitting drums as a central figure blessed the park with incense. This was not just a performance — it was an indigenous prayer that welcomed guests to this spring’s Kanto Corner, a community gathering in the heart of Historic Filipinotown.
Organized by arts organization Sunday Jump and Kabataang maka-Bayan (Pro-People Youth) Los Angeles, this was the third installment of the event, aimed at providing a safe space to celebrate and uplift the HiFi neighborhood. While the event highlighted many Filipino artists, vendors and performers, it also welcomed participants from other walks of life to reflect a broader commitment to inclusivity.
“Our focus with Kanto Corner was making sure that everybody was local to the area or had some type of connection [to HiFi] … it’s anyone who wants to build community with us,” said Joey Anne Pangilinan, social worker and organizer for Kanto Corner.
Eddy Gana, another event organizer and founder of Sunday Jump, said Kanto Corner was important to revive HiFi’s sense of community, especially in the wake of the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have left some residents feeling unsafe. The raids led the event to set up designated areas for extra safety and organize community members to monitor for signs of immigration enforcement nearby.
“We wanted to activate this park and welcome folks to know that this here is home,” Gana said.
“We are a safe space for folks to gather, to share stories, to break bread — no matter what cultural identity or background, we can find connection through our humanity.”
Before entering the park, attendees were greeted by a painted Jeepney as if they were transported to the bustling roads of Metro Manila. Next to it were several tents of food smoking with flavor, reminiscent of street food vendors that line Philippine sidewalks. Vendors served a wide variety of cuisine from Taho (tofu-based dessert) matcha and Longganisa (Filipino sausage) burgers, to Nicaraguan barbeque from the community’s Nicaraguan neighbors.
Inside, artisans sold handmade jewelry, paintings and Barongs (traditional Filipino wear) for dogs. Among the vendors selling Barongs was Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture, a community organization promoting the artistic and cultural heritage of Filipinos in the United States.
“Our [mission statement] is to really support and promote the artists for Filipinos and Filipino Americans from the broader spectrum, and really provide a platform for them to nourish and flourish and really grow throughout the community,” said Kevin Pamittan, the vice chair of the board for FilAm Arts.
Throughout the day, guests could also take part in traditional Filipino activities like joining a Pabitin game (a game in which guests try reaching for party favors hung on a bamboo grid), a regenerative design workshop with native plants or a chance to ride the Jeepney. In the middle of the event was a Bahay Kubo photo opportunity where guests could take a picture in the traditional Filipino country hut.
As attendees explored the Philippine microcosm, artists took the center stage with a diverse lineup of performances. Some highlights include Rafaella Angelica’s emotional spoken word poem on their disconnection from their Filipino ancestors and Chai Savathasuk’s “Mr. Chai Tea” comedy act that delved into the Trump administration’s corruption. .
Pangilinan said the organizers chose vendors that wanted to form a deeper connection with the HiFi community, whether or not they were Filipino. After surveying attendees from their last two events, Pangilinan also realized the need for healthcare within the community, incorporating free services such as HIV testing and blood pressure tests to the event.
Kanto Corner not only provided a safe and welcoming space for many attendees but it also was able to help reconnect Filipino Americans to a part of their culture that they were not able to experience in their homeland.
“It’s just nice to know that other Filipinos also come from a place where they don’t really know their identity as well, so it’s easy to engage [with the community],” attendee Brianna Bisaya said.
While not ethnically Filipino, Baqi Cole grew up in a Filipino community and also said Kanto Corner deepened his connection with the community.
“I learned new words, I learned more about the food … it’s great to see all how the culture is expressed, you know, so that’s just always really beautiful,” Cole said.