This past August 2011, I took a trip to the Bay Area and had the chance to immerse myself in all things San Francisco - the lifestyle, the people, the food, and a lot in between. Most of all, I was able to get a glimpse of the Pilipino-American lifestyle, and observe how that is similar or different from my Midwest perspective.
On another note, I was able to see how San Francisco beautifully mixes the best of any culture or ethnic group down any street, block, or neighborhood. I truly wish someday Chicago could rise to that level. I really appreciated my trip to this area, because it opened my eyes to a society that breaks barriers on many levels. But that is for another discussion!
Below, I created common responses to topics that come up a lot, solely on being Pilipino-American. I also created responses of how I think a West Coast or California Pil-Am would tackle the same discussions.
Would anyone from California or the West Coast like to respond to this? I am no expert, but I am attempting to open some dialogue about this topic. I would also be interested to see what the experience is like on the East Coast. Would anyone be willing to initiate that dialogue?
Topic: Identity
Illinoisan and/or Midwest Pil-Am to another Midwest Fil-Am: “Hey, are you Pilipino? Cool! I am too!”
Depending on where you live in the Midwest, this person might be overly excited to see someone who looks like them. Or, it can be the opposite: They may have never been exposed to other Pilipinos and may not act as excited because they may not identify with being Pil-Am. And then again, in cities like Chicago with a lot of Pilipinos, it may only take a few minutes to find out you know someone, who is related to someone, who is also best friends with someone you know, and you may have even met before you just didn’t realize it.
Californian and/West Coast Pil-Am to a peer, same statement: It may not come up in conversation, because seeing Pilipinos all around is common. Or, there is no need to point out the fact one is Pilipino. It’s still recognized, but it can become easy to forget that everyone around you may be Pilipino. However, you are all Californians and that’s what probably unites you all the most.
Topic: Community organizing
Midwest Pil-Am to a peer: “We should have a Pilipino-American organization that is geared toward (insert cause here).”
Midwest peer:“Yes, great idea! Why don’t we have that already? It’s a no-brainer. I’m with you. When can we start? Let’s do it.” Or, “Yes, you are just the person to do it. Go for it. I know people who would want to do that, too.”
California Pil-Am to a CA peer: Same statement.
CA peer response: “Are you sure there isn’t an organization like this already? How can you make yourself stand out, I mean, there is a lot of “competition” of groups. Is it worth it to work together with already existing organizations? How can you take your idea to the next level?” Or, the conversation may not happen in the first place because there are already many existing organizations for that cause or idea.
Topic: Knowledge of Philippine history
Midwest Pil-Am: I have never taken a Pilipino Studies class and it isn’t offered at my university (in the Midwest). At least I could learn some things from my general Asian-American Studies courses, though. My little knowledge of Philippine history comes from my family. I don’t exactly know where to start.”
California Pil-Am: “Of course my university offered Pilipino Studies and I took courses. I know a lot about my heritage and the history of Pilipinos, not only in the homeland, but here in the U.S.”
Topic: Perception of non-Pilipinos toward Pilipinos
Midwest Non-Pilipino to a Pil-Am: “What are you?” Or, if people are actually P.C., they would say, “I’m curious. May I ask what is your ethnic background?”
*Note: Depending on where you live, one must not be surprised if this is asked, sometimes out of the blue. Another note, most other Asian-Americans know of Pilipinos and likely would not ask this question.
Midwest Pil-Am response: “Pilipino.” However, you may hear a lot more Pinoys in the Midwest say they are half or a quarter).
Midwest Non-Pilipino: “Oh, I don’t think I’ve met anyone Pilipino before.”
California Pil-Am and California non Pil-Am, same question: It may not even come up. (Why does it matter?, one may think)
No Facebook?
By armanliwanag on September 13, 2011 - 11:58am
- Login or register to post comments
By FilipinaChicagoan on September 13, 2011 - 8:25am
- Login or register to post comments
By krystelle on September 12, 2011 - 9:44pm
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Ohh the article was very interesting! I've always wondered how it feels to be Pil-Am on the Mid-West, South, and East Coast and, although there are some differences, there are still many similarities! Here are some of my thoughts:
1) I think this really depends on what city/area of California you are in. It is true that there are a high percentage of Pil-Ams residing around the Bay Area, LA, and San Diego, (maybe some in Sacramento as well). Other than these three (or four) major cities, there isn't a huge Pil-Am population. I have many non-Pilipin@ friends who come from these areas with a low Pil-Am demographic who have never met or even heard of the Pilipin@ ethnic group. However, it's still hard to assume whether one is Pil-Am even in highly populated areas because the person really might be of another ethnicity (I know many Southeast Asians and Latin@s that get mistaken as Pil-Am). Nevertheless, whether you live in an area with a high Pilipin@ population or in one with a tiny population, in my experience, I feel that Pilipin@s still get excited with they meet another Pin@y. Not only does it give each of them a chance to learn of mutual friends, but I feel like it stems from the comradery, connection, and pride that exists between us as fellow kababayan. I still get excited every time I meet another Pil-Am, asking where they're from, who they know, if they know the language, etc. It gives me a sense of instant connection, something that we already share together.
2) It is true that there are many Pil-Am organizations, especially at the collegiate level. However, there are still many schools that do not have one, have just started, or don't have as many members as other schools. This might be because there may be a low Pil-Am population at these universities due to a lack of access and retention. However, at UC Irvine and many other UCs and CSUs, we're blessed to not only have a Pil-Am cultural organization, but more Pil-Am organizations that focus on certain areas, whether it be a concentration of studies (Medical Field, Engineering, Social Sciences), religion (Catholic and Christian Pil-Am groups), and the political (campaigns for Tagalog and Pilipin@ Studies on campus, increasing the access of Pil-Am students in higher education, etc).
3) Even in California, there are many Pil-Ams who do not know the Pilipin@ history, language, and culture. Many Pil-Ams are unaware of the issues that are affecting our community here in the states and back in the Philippines. Many Pil-Ams look to college organizations to learn more about their culture and find a community. However, in regards to Pilipin@ Studies, there is still a huge lack of Tagalog and Pilipin@ Studies on university campuses across the state. If anything, a few classes might be offered, but as part of the Department of Asian American Studies. If one is lucky, there might be a concentration. Still, there are schools that don't even have Ethnic Studies classes. At UC Irvine specifically, we used to have at least 10 Tagalog and Pilipin@ courses offered back in 2003, but that has since dwindled down to only two or three courses, with only one course offered at a time. This is a result of the recent budget cuts that have hit the public education system hard. Students are still struggling to demand Tagalog and Pilipin@ Studies on their campuses.
4) Like I said before, this question still comes up, especially from Non-Pilipin@s. It may because they've never met or seen a Pil-Am before. It may also be because the Pil-Am community itself is diverse, with Pil-Ams of all different shades, shapes, and sizes. If you take into account those who are mixed, it might be even more difficult to easily tell if one is Pilipin@.
All of this is from my experience. As you also mentioned early, I really want to point out that mine won't be the same as every other Pil-Am in California. I'm interested to see if other Pil-Ams in California have any similar or different experiences.
Thanks for writing this!
"I can definitely see BakitWhy becoming a platform for college organizations to work toward building a Pil-Am curriculum a their campuses nationwide, for example."
-Great idea, Krystelle! I definitely think something needs to be done to expand curriculum to schools across the country.
And I would love to hear about the history of how Pilipino orgs came to be in CA. In Chicago at least, apparently there were more than 100 Filipino organizations in the 60s and 70s, but I can't even comfortably name 10 or 15? At least ones that are official.
Thanks for pointing out that the comparisons are not just cut and dry. I definitely think there would be different perspectives depending on where you actually reside.
This is a really interesting comparison... I'd love for folks to discuss our differing experiences more. I can definitely see BakitWhy becoming a platform for college organizations to work toward building a Pil-Am curriculum a their campuses nationwide, for example.
Although California does have a higher concentration of Pilipinos, as well as Pilipino organizations, it's not exactly like that in every region. I live in Southern California and I have people asking me what my ethnicity is all the time. I also meet folks who aren't as aware of their history as how Californian Pilipinos might be expected to be.
Pilipinos also have a very deep-seeded history in California, which led to the formation of various organizations here. That same history also led to the movement to add Piipino Studies classes to college curriculums. The work toward keeping those classes and establishing them in some schools is still ongoing.