Filipinos on the Frontlines

This week I sat down with the brilliant James Olabre. James is the Operations and Development Manager at Transport for London. We were both directors at EVR (End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities) now rebranded as Sesame.Over the years we have met at events but never quite managed to have a proper chat. I wanted to know more about him as a friend, and his life as a Filipino in the UK. In this episode we spoke about food, Filipino karaoke and how we navigate living in London as part of the ESEA community.This week our conversation felt even more poignant because of Apple, an NHS worker who was assaulted and racially abused in Manor Heath Park, Halifax.Apple is a NHS nurse from the Philippines with 15 years of service. She was racially abused and assaulted while walking with her family on 28th August. In a social media post, she shared her feelings after the attack stating, “After what happened, it only validated my decision [to leave]. I love what I do, but some people aren’t worth my time or my care.” She added, “Justice must be served.”West Yorkshire Police reported that a white man and woman, both in their 60s, targeted Apple’s family with racist abuse. A bystander who intervened and Apple’s mother were also assaulted.The couple demanded to know if the nurse, who has worked for the NHS for 12 years, 'came here on a rubber boat' and hurled water and grabbed her hair during the assault The police have made two arrests.Catch up with all episodes of Between Nasi Goreng and Fried Rice on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube Recently I went to the launch of New Tide Media, a UK-based network that aims to strengthen ESEA voices and perspectives in journalism. Their mission is to bring nuance into anglophone reporting on ESEA and push back on western-centric storytelling that flattens this rich and diverse region. According to a 2025 report by the Reuters Institute, Asian and Asian British people make up 9 per cent of the United Kingdom’s population, but only three per cent are journalists (90 per cent of journalists are White). In the past ten years, there’s been no significant change in the percentage of journalists from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds working in the UK’s journalism industry, the report says. Journalists of Asian heritage are also underrepresented in American newsrooms. But in the US, there are established networks such as the Asian American Journalist’s Association, that support community members working in the industry and advocate for their interests. Find New Tide Media on Instagram here Keep up with my work and news here. Please get in touch with me at [email protected] if you think I should be highlighting your ESEA organisation on Between Nasi Goreng and Fried Rice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eleanorlisney.substack.com