FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marily Mondejar
415.935.4396


San Francisco, CA – May 15, 2012 - Filipina Women's Network (FWN) in collaboration with V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls, celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by shattering culture taboos with a benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues.

FWN's anti-violence campaign was launched in 2004 in response to the murder of 28-year old Filipina, Claire Joyce Tempongko. The campaign is in it's 9th year and 29th production.

Working at the intersection of art, social action and politics, FWN empowers women of color grassroots activists to become leaders, turning pain to power and transforming their respective communities.

Headlining the all-women volunteer cast comprised of local community leaders, public officials, executives, young professionals, mothers and students are:

• Fabiola Kramsky Gascón, Journalist, Univision
• Malia Cohen, Supervisor (D10)
• Sharmin Bock, Assistant District Attorney, Alameda County
• Theresa Sparks, Executive Director, San Francisco Human Rights Commission
• Julie Soo, Commissioner, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women
• Cecilia Chung, Commissioner, San Francisco Health Commission
• Nikki "Tita Aida" Calma, TRANS: Thrive Program Supervisor, API Wellness Center
• Barbara Mark, CEO, Full Circle Institute
• Jacqueline Yu, Attorney, Horton, Roberts & West LLP

“Domestic abuse is a hidden secret in our community,” says Marily Mondejar, FWN President, who has taken the community performances to New York, Washington, DC and Las Vegas, Nevada. “It is critical that we raise our consciousness about the insidiousness of violence at all levels – from a sampal (brutal slap) to a casual put-down. All the cast and crew members are volunteers and community folks who signed up to speak out against violence. They did so because they understand and want to participate in ending violence in our communities.”

The performance will benefit V-Day Spotlight 2012: Women and Girls in Haiti, and FWN's Women of Color United Against Violence Billboard in Tagalog to be installed in the Mission district where many Filipinos and Latinos reside.

Tickets are available at City Box Office by calling 415.392.4400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com. Tickets are $28 for seniors/students, $38 for general admission and $100 for VIP seating. 10% discount for group tickets of 10 or more.

Patrons are encouraged to sponsor tickets for domestic violence agencies and shelter residents so they can attend the show. To sponsor, go to www.FilipinaWomensNetwork.org/events or call 415.935.4FWN. Sponsorship and advertising in the publication of the V-Diaries, FWN's anti-violence resource guide and playbill are still available.




About Filipina Women’s Network (FWN)

FWN is the non-profit organization founded to raise funding and awareness of the activities, careers and status of women of Philippine ancestry living in the United States. FWN is committed to fostering the socioeconomic, political, and educational advancement of Filipina women through cultural heritage events, career initiatives and professional development programs. FWN strives to enhance public perceptions of Filipina women's capacities to lead, change biases against Filipina women's leadership abilities and build the Filipina community's pipeline of qualified leaders, to increase the odds that some will rise to the President position in all sectors. More info: www.FilipinaWomensNetwork.org.

About “The Vagina Monologues”

Hailed by The New York Times as "funny" and "poignant" and by the Daily News as "intelligent" and "courageous, The Vagina Monologues, which was first performed off-Broadway by Ms. Ensler, dives into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women's experiences. Through this play and the liberation of this one WORD, countless women throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives; giving voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public.

Hailed as the bible for a new generation of women, it has been performed in cities all across America and at hundreds of college campuses, and has inspired a dynamic grassroots movement to stop violence against women. Witty and irreverent, compassionate and wise, Eve Ensler's Obie Award winning masterpiece gives voice to real women's deepest fantasies and fears, guaranteeing that no one who reads it will ever look at a woman's body, or think of sex, in quite the same way again. More info: www.vday.org

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