Diana Diroy
In order to go forward, one must know their past. After graduating from San Jose State University in 2007, Diana Diroy found it imperative to learn more about her roots and decided to embark on a six-month trip to the Philippines. Inspired by the strength of women community leaders, Diroy captured the beauty and strife of their daily lives with her lens. Her love for photography and passion for visual storytelling led to the collaboration with Aisha Heredia. Diroy is a freelance photographer and multi-media producer. She continues her love for visual storytelling as she currently pursues her Masters Degree in Media Studies at The New School in New York.
First and foremost, Diana would like to thank her parents Felicitas and Teofilo, her sibling Elmer and Sarah, and of course Nanay for supporting her in so many ways while she pursued such a complex project. The Asian American Journalism Association for the Willie Kee Memorial Scholarship, that helped fund her trip. Also, Rick Rocamora, Christian Hansen, Dai Sugano, Tim Tiangsing, Karna Kurata, and Daniel Sato for helping her through the photo and multi-media editing process.
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Aisha Heredia
Aisha Heredia stands on the backs of her foremothers. Born in Quezon City, raised in Moreno Valley, California, and currently intertwined with the San Francisco Bay Area, everything Aisha creates reflects her passion for narrative and solidarity with diasporic communities. With a BA in Development Studies, at University of California Berkeley, emphasizing on Philippine sustainable development, her academic background and passions made perfect sense for integrating the worlds of art, activism, and education with photographer Diana Diroy for Kababaihan. Reflecting unabashed emotions, thoughts, actions, and conversations she had with Diana, herself and community leaders, Aisha not only managed data captures but created a series of prose to record the journey featured in the Fight, No Flight!, the July-September 2009 Manilatown Heritage Foundation exhibit. Aisha feels that her work producing new media documentary is an evolution in presenting life in the raw.
Aisha warmly thanks her families for taking a leap of faith with her as she journeyed through the Kababaihan, her siblings Aaron, Angelo, and Jana for their brilliant light, and parents Anniebel and Agapito for there tireless love. Sincere thank yous to the rest of her fam as Kababaihan would not have been possible with their support: Ian, Derek, Shelma, Mike, Tiffany, Tito Alex, Weyland, Ester, Angelica, Torrance, Juan, Damon, Desiree, Gunner, and Shaunice.
