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Prior to this class, I had only known that the Philippines was a island chain colonized by Spain and the United States and that the Filipinos tend to go into the medical field. After learning about the Filipino American experience from Reynilla Calderon-Magbuhat, who spoke on the Fiilpino American experience, revealed certain  social and legal injustices Filipino Americans faced. She even provided her fathers personal story, "My father joined the Navy to escape the Philippines and earn a better life for himself and us . . . "

Her talk  made me wonder about all the other injustices and hardships Filipinos in America experienced and how those hardships affect them and their community.  I wondered about who would address those injustices.

Some of the important experiences I learned were important historical events where they were subjected to terrible living conditions, horrible prejudices they experienced, and unfair laws put into place that negatively affected them. For example The Tydings-Mcduffie law restricted only up to fifty Filipinos to immigrant into the United States because of fears of citizens losing their jobs. It was an interesting and eye opening experience because i had no idea how deep it all actually went and then learning about this new perspective of the country (United States) I’ve been living in all my life.

These kinds of stories and histories are important because they help us understand the other side more and try to find a fair but reasonable solution. i want to continuing finding out what ways Filipinos are going about to fight for change or independence and how it'll affect their future.

- Jonnathan
Latinx

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I have always thought I knew a lot about being a Filipino. I have experienced different cultural traditions, eaten all the exotic food, and visited a lot of indigenous places. But, I had yet to realize that there is still so much to learn and that there are so many things that have been pushed under the rug when it comes to educating us about our own Philippine history. For instance, coming from the motherland, it wasn’t until I moved to Southern California that I learned about the significant events that have happened in the lives of Filipino-Americans. I never knew about Larry Itliong, one of the most revolutionary Fil-Am figures, or even about the different racist Immigration Acts (i.e. Anti-miscegenation laws, Asian Exclusion Acts) set by the previous legislature. It made me question and reflect about my own knowledge, and how I could change the way I see things and look at them from a different perspective.

Being a first generation Filipino immigrant (Based from Nadal’s definition: A foreign born individual, who immigrated to the US during adolescence) I only ever thought that people chose to move to America because there are many opportunities for success and the betterment of our lives. Now, I’m finding out that the concept of these “opportunities” come from colonial mentality in a sense that our colonizers made us believe that life in the West is best.  We claim to be an independent nation, yet we continue to tolerate the acts of "white washing" I strongly believe that those “opportunities” arrive regardless of where we are, it’s just how we make it to be.

However, our adapted colonial mentality has shaped the way we think and act at present. It is a fact that abrupt change is difficult to enforce, but by learning from our real history, we can continue to progress and create those changes and opportunities ourselves. This is why I continue to wonder if we can have a spark big enough to ignite the spirit of awareness in our culture as Filipino-Americans and be courageous enough to speak out about how we can change and grow as a community.

- Athina D.
Pinay

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Honestly I don't have much of knowledge about Filipino American in scope, until I was introduced to the real community of Filipinos here in Chula Vista and nearby towns.  I was surprised that the population of Filipinos here in San Diego is quite big.  You can see them everywhere, at school, stores around and local food stores which popularize Filipino cuisine like lumpia and pancit.

Besides those everyday observations, our Filipino ancestors who came here in the United States long time ago deserves to be given credit for holding on to that pride and showing resiliency to overcome the social inequality that faces them before.  I know there are still few incidents of racial discrimination encounters, but I believe Filipinos will not be deterred to keep moving forward to make themselves better and as well a law abiding Filipino Americans.

I am finding about important Filipino American events from
the four waves of Filipino immigration here in the United States to the denigration many faced from white Americans.

Filipinos in American should continue to embrace our values despite the modern life style we. I found out the most of the "third wave" Filipinos served in the US Military. And they are doing great. Respect is earned, particularly by those Filipinos who are in the health care profession are the most sought nationally because of their dedication to sincere service.
I am aware of some incidents of Filipino being maligned, and not just because of our color, but because we are foreign and do not come from a powerful and economically rich country.

Bayan is doing a very noble intention of strengthening my Filipinos ties even as I am also American.  Sharing our experiences together and common interest preserves my pride as a Filipino.  The doubt flying on top of my head every time I go out was now replaced by self-confidence and interest to discover the beauty around me.

What is important is not where I came from, but what matter most is where I am heading.  The hidden piece of me, is now unmasked.

-Jeanne
Pinay

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People don’t realize that history conditions a person's psych therefore our individual mental health is affected. Many of the policies trained the Pinoys to denigrate themselves which caused total confusion of their racial identity and cultural identity.

According to Kevin Nadal, he writes in his book, Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice, “Filipino Americans reject their traditions” because of what they’ve adapted to from the Philippines and the United States. Events in history, such as the Cesar Chavez movement and the immigration acts, were left out of history books that initially made it easier for the Filipinx community to elevate Americanized standards because it has become conditioned in their brains linking it to colonial mentality. Educators from America came to the Philippines in order to make the Filipinx community more “American” driving them away from themselves.

Assimilation, acculturation and bi-cultural processes affect the way they go about their lives because of the tension between two types of morals and values: US  and Filipino. According to Professor Calderon’s lecture, when the anti-miscegenation act was passed, “Filipino American men and women couldn’t marry out of their own race which prevented them from happiness”. Indigenous values were such a shameful act coming into America that colonizers sought to replace in order to keep order and power. Filipinos had to conform to the dominant norms if they wanted to stay in the US which was a big sacrifice every Filipino had to make.

-Judith R.
Latina

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In my household, my parents always encouraged me to speak English and to be sure I fully understood the history of the United States. Although, not until now has the Filipino American history been introduced to me. In Reynila Magbuhat’s lecture, immigration acts such as the Tydings McDuffie Act, in which they allowed 50 Filipinos a year, the Repatriation Act, where the US offered to pay Filipinos one-way ticket home, and the Immigration/Nationality Act where 20,000 Filipino were allowed at a time expanded my knowledge on the history and hardships Filipinos faced immigrating to America.

Magbuhat’s lecture covered background education in the Philippines. Thomasites were known as the teachers who came from the United States to teach in the Philippines for free. They were directed to teach the students English and to disregard their Filipino ways. “Some of these values include an appreciation of American education as well as an emphasis on competition and individualism instead of collectivism.” Nadal (41).  With this in mind, the curiosity of why the Filipinos today, (e.g. my parents) still idolize the idea of being "Americanized". This shows that colonial mentality plays a huge role in the upbringing of the 2nd generation even when other factors such as a diverse environment comes to play. The unawareness of USA’s impact on the Filipinx culture allows them to have superiority causing Filipinx to adapt to the American way. With this in mind it fosters a sense of inferiority.

- Jessica B.
Pinay