Kirby Pábalan-Táyag Aráullo is a Filipino American historian, content creator, and renowned culture bearer based in California. He is also the author of the groundbreaking book “Black Lives & Brown Freedom: Untold Histories of War, Solidarity, & Genocide,” and the Co-Founder and former Director of Operations for the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis.
Kirby is a direct descendant of the last indigenous Paramount Kings of Luzon (of both Lakandúlâ of Tondo and Rája Matandá of Maynílâ), of the anti-colonial revolutionary Katipuneros, and of World War II Guerilyeras who fought for the liberation of the islands we now call the Philippines.
Born in Angeles City, Philippines, Kirby spent his childhood amidst the rebuilding of his homeland in the aftermath of Mt. Pinatubo’s cataclysmic eruption. His childhood beneath the shadows of the city’s red-light district, slum neighborhoods, and Clark Air Base (a former U.S. military installation) sparked his lifelong passion in advocating for the rights and the well-being of marginalized and disenfranchised communities. As a direct descendant of revolutionaries, politicos, and activists, Kirby’s upbringing was molded by productively engaging and navigating the realms of advocacy, traditional politics, and grassroots activism.
With a keen interest in varying fields (such as history, public affairs, and filmmaking) and a strong commitment to serving the community, Kirby studied at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, such as Harvard University, the University of California, Davis, and the Université catholique de Louvain (one of Europe’s oldest universities). He has been teaching Filipino people’s history through writing in indigenous Philippine scripts (Kulitan & Baybayin) for over a decade.
Today, Kirby is well-known for his educationally engaging YouTube channel where you can find videos about history, culture, and everything in between! He is also currently working on his next big book “Luzones & the New World: Forgotten Histories from Southeast Asia to the Americas” along with an easy-to-read book and zine series known as “Know Our Roots,” and an educational coloring book series called “Color Our Roots.”
Kirby is an educator who is well-rooted in his culture and passionate about his colorful heritage (Kapampángan, Tagálog, Indigenous Áytá, Pangasinan, and Spanish-Basque-Portuguese-Irish Mestizo); he strives to decolonize Philippine history and democratize Ethnic Studies through knowledge and creativity. Kirby is a Dátû and Lakan by blood but an Artist-Scholar-Activist at heart.
