ROOTS & RIMS
Basketball isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are. From the hardwood floors of Bay Area gyms to the deep roots of our culture, Just Us Basketball and Barkada Basketball are building more than teams. We’re building community, pride, and opportunity.
The Roots & Rims Bulletin is where it all comes together. Inside, you’ll meet our players—athletes chasing dreams, growing in confidence, and representing their families with heart. You’ll hear from our community sponsors and local businesses whose support fuels every practice, every tournament, every “let’s run it back.” You’ll also find reflections on heritage: the flavors, stories, and traditions that make Filipino culture inseparable from the game we love.
This is a space where donors, parents, coaches, and players all share the same courtside seat. It’s not just about highlights and stats; it’s about the bigger picture—how basketball can shape character, unite communities, and carry culture forward.
So here’s to roots, rims, and everything in between. Welcome to the story of Just Us and Barkada Basketball, told one spotlight, one sponsor, and one swish at a time.
Malaya Means Free:
How Pia T. Barton Is Reclaiming Healing, Culture, and Community for Filipinos Everywhere
It’s 9 a.m. in Alameda, the sun already sharp and golden, bouncing off the vendor tents lined along the waterfront. Before the gates even open, the smell of sizzling lumpia and grilled pork belly hangs thick in the air. Kids run between tables, aunties adjust their tarps, and someone’s Lola is already dancing to “Bebot.” It’s Filipino Island Festival day — and at the heart of it all is one woman: Pia T. Barton.
To most people, she’s the warm smile that greets you at the entrance. But to those who know — really know — Pia is something far deeper. She’s Ate Pia: a force of nature, a bridge builder, and the Filipina founder behind Malaya Botanicals, the first Filipina-owned cannabis wellness brand in the U.S.
The Freedom in “Malaya”
“Malaya” means free in Tagalog. And freedom — from stigma, from pain, from silence — is what Pia’s been chasing and creating for her community.
At first glance, Malaya Botanicals looks like a sleek apothecary: minimalist jars of CBD-infused oils, lotions, and teas, all wrapped in gentle greens and gold. But it’s much more than a brand. It’s a declaration.
Pia founded Malaya to de-stigmatize cannabis, especially for women of color who grew up in cultures that called it “masama” — bad. For her, it wasn’t rebellion; it was reclamation. She wanted Filipinas to see that healing could be natural, that softness could coexist with strength, that wellness wasn’t just for the privileged or the Western.
Through her products, she invites women — especially mothers, daughters, aunties, and caregivers — to take care of themselves unapologetically. “Healing isn’t selfish,” she often says. “It’s how we survive. It’s how we lead.”
Building Bayanihan in the Modern Age
If Malaya is her love letter to healing, then The Filipino Island Festival is her love letter to bayanihan — that uniquely Filipino spirit of community.
This year’s festival felt like a time capsule cracked open. From ELI MAC and SGI Dance Collective, to rows of food vendors and wellness booths, the day pulsed with pride and rhythm.
The intention was clear: this wasn’t another influencer pop-up. It was a carefully crafted celebration of Filipino-American identity — curated by Pia and her small but mighty team. Free entry. Real vendors. Artisans. Storytellers. Dancers. Elders.
Every booth had a purpose. Every performance had roots. It was about showing that Filipino culture isn’t just alive — it’s thriving, growing, and healing in real time.
The Real Ones Behind the Magic
Anyone who’s seen Pia in action knows she’s not doing it alone. Behind every great ate is an kuya, and for Pia, that’s Rolando — her life partner, co-dreamer, and steady anchor.
Together, they’ve become a quiet power couple in the Bay Area Filipino community. Whether they’re setting up tents, mentoring high school volunteers, or feeding vendors at midnight, their work reflects a simple truth: community isn’t built in boardrooms; it’s built in parking lots, kitchens, and festival grounds.
When we ran into them at Pistahan the next morning — a cozy spot with kare-kare and adobo steaming from the buffet trays — Pia greeted us like family. She listened as we told her how our youth team raised enough money to cover gym time through the bracelets we sold at the festival. She smiled, proud but calm, the way an older cousin does when she knows you’re figuring it out.
Healing as Heritage
Pia doesn’t just talk about healing — she lives it. Through Malaya Botanicals, her pop-up dinners, and now through Filipino Island Fest, she’s creating spaces where Filipinos can see that wellness is part of our heritage.
From herbal teas and hilot massages to ancestral foods and spirituality, Pia’s work reminds us that our roots already held the answers — we just needed someone to light the path back.
And in a time when cultural events are more about hashtags than heritage, her approach feels authentic. She’s curating not just experiences, but connections — between generations, between islands and diaspora, between pain and possibility.
A Future Built on Love and Labor
This year’s festival ended with families watching the sunset, kids licking Pineapple Dole Whip, and vendors selling out — a small but powerful sign of what Filipino entrepreneurship and solidarity can look like when done right.
For the next generation — the young volunteers, players, and parents who helped make it happen — the lesson is clear: community is not an event, it’s a practice.
So to Ate Pia, Rolando, and the Malaya family — salamat. Thank you for reminding us that freedom, healing, and love all start with one brave act: showing up for each other.
Malaya Botanicals isn’t just about CBD.
Filipino Island Fest isn’t just about culture.
Both are about the same thing — coming home to yourself, and bringing your people with you.
Mabuhay, Ate Pia. You make our community feel seen.
Websites:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/malayabotanicals
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Filipino-Island-Fest-61577466922229/
