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What You Didn’t Know About Filipino-American History

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, we are still only recognized through Jollibee and Bretman Rock. 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? It doesn’t stop there, of course! 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.

Why We Need More Filipino Cartoons

Every Filipino becomes a nurse or an animator and no, these two options aren’t as far off from each other as they sound. Because just like healthcare education, there are a number of western animation studios and schools in the Philippines that train talented Filipino artists and designers and bring them into the film and TV industry. From Inside Out to Finding Nemo, The Incredibles to other Disney and Pixar classics, Filipinos helped write, direct and animate these iconic films. But while our people and our culture are active contributors to the production of cartoons, we don’t really get to see animated characters that explicitly represent our community. Why do Filipinos get to create stories for other communities but have little to no opportunity for their own?

Filipino Representation in Reality TV

In terms of reality TV, we commonly see Filipinos as participants on televised competitions and we are without a doubt, excellent at it! We however, have a long history of being perceived as reserved and lacking in personality, but we know well enough that just like the Kardashians our community is also capable of being entertaining while remaining genuine. It seems that our representation in reality TV remains an issue considering how we have other shows that highlight Filipino culture. It’s about time we too are recognized outside our competitive vocal and dance abilities and more on our chaotic Titas, our diverse cuisine and our many languages!

Can Filipinos make it in Hollywood?

Hollywood has finally gotten out of its phase of representing Asian culture as just plot points or settings for action films. Because now, there’s a rise in more authentic Asian stories portrayed by actual Asian casts. When Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite'' had an Oscar sweep and Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” won 4 of its 11 nominations, they were big accomplishments for the Asian community- we were finally being paid attention to. With all these going on, one might seem to think that Hollywood, with all it’s racist past, is finally being inclusive- but that’s not entirely true. Because what about us, Filipinos?

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