About Us

GABRIELA WORLDWIDE: FiRE members with our sisters in the struggle from babaeSF, Pinay sa Seattle, and our special guest, Emmi de Jesus of GABRIELA-Philippines!

Thank you for visiting our website!  We are excited to have  you, and welcome you to  engage with us critically in this space!

History and Mission:

Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE)  was founded on April 14, 2007. It is part of the first overseas chapter of GABRIELA in the USA. FiRE is also a member organization of BAYAN-USA.

FiRE is a mass based women’s organization serving New York City and its surrounding areas. We are dedicated to global and local Filipina and Filipina American issues. We believe that class oppression is inextricable to the struggle of women; therefore we support and create women’s initiatives by fostering leadership, building alliances and mobilizing our immigrant and native-born community through critical education and learning. We are an anti-imperialist formation working in solidarity with the National Democratic movement of the Philippines. We connect the Filipino diaspora to the women’s struggle in the Philippines by organizing across class, gender, sexual identity, and age lines. Bringing woman-born and woman-identified people together, we challenge pervading stereotypes by creating self-defined Filipina identities.

We address local issues affecting Pinays in the area, and host various cultural events (like Diwang Pinay, an annual showcase of Filipina artists) and workshops.  If you are interested in learning more about the organization, FiRE can be reached at the following email: fire.nyc@gmail.com

Meet FiRE’s Executive Committee!

Chairperson: Jennine Ventura
Vice-Chairperson: Zarah Vinola
Secretary General: Bean Rabino
Education Director: Christine Fabro
Cultural Director: Candice Sering
Finance Director: May Madarang

Founding Members:
Robin Castel, Kimmie David, Valerie Francisco, Charlene Morales, Sandra Panopio, Hanalei Ramos

Here are some brief videos about our organization:

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