Inspired by the growing movement to address the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) throughout North America, true-crime podcast Project Sunlight aims to address the worsening crisis of missing and murdered Filipinas in the United States.
The solo-hosted podcast, relaunching in April, is based on the first-ever database documenting more than 350 missing and murdered Filipino American women.
Project Sunlight takes its inspiration from the MMIW movement as a podcast focused on untold stories of true crimes, whose victims are national minority women. There are more than 4 million Filipinos in the United States; as a demographic, Filipinos are the third-largest Asian American subgroup after Chinese and Indian Americans.
Despite the rich multi-generational history of Filipinos in the U.S. and the rapid growth in immigration, Filipinos are chronically underrepresented in mainstream media and culture. Filipino women who have disappeared or died as a result of violent crime have been woefully ignored.
Project Sunlight will appeal to audiences that are looking for an in-depth podcast that dares to examine how colonization, foreign policy, immigration and institutionalized oppression have created an epidemic of missing and murdered Filipino American women. As the first-ever show of its kind, Project Sunlight is a groundbreaking venture that will draw the listener into a world where true crime and social sciences intersect.
The podcast will provide a bedrock of information from which Filipino American communities and the greater public can glean, but its broader goal is to promote a culture of awareness around the epidemic, leading to a reduction in incidences. Listeners can expect that “taboo” subjects, from intimate partner violence, divorce, immigration status, sexual assault, intergenerational trauma and mental health, will be covered through the lens of the Filipina as a Filipino American-hosted show.
The victims documented in the database range in age, background and circumstances, but what they all have in common is that they were daughters, sisters, aunts, mothers and grandmothers whose stories must be told. The hope is that this podcast can lead by example in its mission to promote awareness and healing, inspiring others to be active participants in this important initiative.
Project Sunlight has been on hiatus since early last year, but returns with all new episodes April 30. Project Sunlight is available on popular streaming platforms iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
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