WRITTEN BY: ELLE LAVIN & FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Why are Filipinos nothing more but a fun-fact in American history books?  The U.S. has become home to the largest number of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, yet we are still only recognized through either Jollibee or Bretman Rock. But what a lot of people don’t know is that it was our community who successfully started national boycotts in 1965, bringing improvement to the lives of laborers in the country. Cool, right? Not only that, but many significant events in American politics and culture were contributed and participated by Filipinos. The parts where we challenge society should be equally celebrated as the times we go viral online as dancers or singers. It’s important to note that Filipino-American history IS American history.

When immigration laws in the U.S. began, about 100,000 Filipinos were recruited and shipped to become farm workers, most of which were able-bodied teenagers who grew up to be the Manongs or “the first wave of Filipino immigrants in America”. Their arrival however, was less than welcoming as our Manongs unsurprisingly suffered racial discrimination in a predominantly white country. Decades later, the U.S. still treats Filipinos as pawns rather than people, even neglecting to take care of the 250,000 Filipino Veterans who fought in World War II and the erasure of Indigenous Filipino-Americans. Ultimately, without the struggles that the Manongs endured, all Americans wouldn’t have the basic privileges at our jobs today like bargaining for our hours, pay and work conditions. 

Bringing up these moments changes things for our community- it makes sure that the people who fought for us and the injustices committed against us are recognized and always remembered. We can help from listening to our elders to retelling their stories in any medium to supporting any product or movement that represents our heritage. It’s finally time Americans start learning about Filipino-American history.