Growing up in Japan, I visited the Philippines every other Christmas and several summers. When I first moved to America for college, I experienced culture shock. I had visited the United States often and studied American history, but I had never lived—or identified—as an American until 2009.
I am still learning what it means to be Filipino American. As a Filipino living in Japan, I was always treated like an outsider. This led me to become obsessed with my ancestors, the history of my parents, and the history of the Philippines. I learned about Dr. José Rizal and Filipino artists Guillermo Tolentino (sculptor) and Nicanor Abelardo (kundiman composer). Guillermo Tolentino is related to my father and Nicanor Abelardo was my grandfather’s cousin on my mother’s side. This is just a sliver of my story and one that I wanted to share today in recognition of the first known people of Asian descent to arrive in what is now the United States.
A Brief History of Filipinos in the U.S.
On October 18th, 1587, Filipino sailors with the Spanish navy visited the shores of Morro Bay, California. Filipinos, then a colonial subject of Spain, were often forced to join the navy under terrible working conditions and low pay. In 1902, the U.S. conquered the Philippines and made it a colony. English became the official language, though many had already been pushed to learn Spanish as the primary language, and the economy became dependent on that of the United States. As a territory, Filipinos were U.S. nationals, meaning Filipinos could move to and work in the U.S., but they did not have the same rights as citizens. With the passage of the Immigration and National Act of 1965, the Philippines became the largest source of legal Asian immigration to the United States. This wave of immigration came from qualified Filipino nurses that came to the U.S. in search of a better life and to support their families from abroad. I have personally not met a Filipino American that didn’t know a nurse within their family lineage.
Filipino history has been intertwined with U.S. history, and this month, we celebrate the contributions and the influence of the Filipino community in the United States. The 2020 Census counted around 4.1 million people of Filipino descent living in the United States. Filipino Americans continue to face misperceptions of their racial and ethnic background, which may lead to less visibility in the Asian American community.
Here & Today
Risa at the Merchandise Mart 1871 space in Chicago, IL
I have been a web developer and designer at a private foundation’s IT department for 6.5 years and co-lead the Asian Affinity Network by creating an engaging and informative space for its members. In my spare time, I volunteer with the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG 2023 Conference Committee and DEI Working Group), serve as a Steering Committee member of the Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) Chicago Chapter, and am an active Openlands TreeKeeper (#1713) focusing on communities in the South Side of Chicago. I graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Visual Communications and Art & Technology. Born and raised in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, I feel disconnected to my home, but have a strong understanding of Japanese culture. My parents are from the Philippines, and through relatives who served in the navy and a grandfather who worked under the Department of Agriculture in California as a translator, I qualified for citizenship and was naturalized.
I travel globally and within the U.S., but now call Chicago home. I speak Japanese and Tagalog fluently and reside within the West Pilsen, North Lawndale, and Little Village boundaries. I am currently invested in improving my Spanish-speaking skills to help with language barriers, because through my volunteer work, I interact with and help inform residents about the benefits of trees.
10 Ways to Celebrate Filipino American History Month: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/10-ways-to-celebrate-filipino-american-history-month/4wXB6NUFZ2t0cQ?hl=en
There are more beyond this list of places to eat Filipino food in Chicago, but it’s a good start: https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/guides/best-filipino-restaurants-chicago