Seeking a Better Life
The long lasting legacies of Spanish and American imperialism in the Philippines created poverty, social injustice, and systemic racism. This history has impacted contemporary Filipino life and those who chose to emigrate seeking a better life like the acclaimed writer Carlos Bulosan, and my father, Salvador Reyes Tirazona. These migrations were influenced by rich family roots, a sense of devotion and responsibility, tradition, and honor. When confronted with settler practices in America, they encountered economic challenges, a reconfiguration of their identities, and difficulties generated by discriminatory attitudes of society.
colonialism, adaptation, reconfiguration
The American Dream
My father was representative of the Filipino migration to the United States during the early decades of the twentieth century, and became part of the working class, which, in its pursuit of a better life, was challenged by discrimination, racism, and heartbreak. All Asian immigrants – Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese – were considered components of the “yellow peril” or “others” with no status. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Chinese and Japanese faced increasing anti-Asian racism and immigration exclusion. After the Philippines was colonized by the United States in 1898, early male migrants, often called “manongs” were able to enter Hawai’i and the continental United States as colonized subjects, but soon became the target of white supremacist political organizers as well.Between 1898 and 1946, the Philippines was a colonial possession of the United States, granting Filipino immigrants limited rights and privileges. As citizens of the Philippines, unique opportunities included the right to an American-style education and the right to migrate to the United States, even though, with the passing of the Immigration Act of 1924, other Asians were barred from entry.
working class, racism, discrimination, rights
Survive. Succeed. Belong.
My father never spoke his language to us: he spoke it only when his “boys,” his male Filipino friends, were near. He read the entire daily newspaper, front to back. I queried him in later years as to his reason for not teaching us. He replied that, in essence, he was practising his English on us.My father was always very proud to be a citizen – he became an American citizen in 1945. After that, he got a job at Boeing, bought a house, became a father, and retired to the Philippines a happy soul. His ultimate achievement was building a chapel in his Filipino community of Kalibo.His heart and spirit were always connected to his home, but he adapted his world to become a proud, successful American.
assimilation, belonging, citizenship, language
A Sweet Remembrance
In describing his early years, my father spoke fondly of Filipino country life. His family always had enough food: their diet consisted mainly of rice and regional specialties including seafood, chicken, and pork. He always chose coconut-anything, bananas, and mangoes. His favourite boyhood memory was perching himself between the horns of a water buffalo, a carabao, and riding through the rice fields near Kalibo.Throughout my childhood, I remember my father receiving photo postcards from the Philippines. Despite being an ocean away, he never lost touch with his family.
memory, roots, food, connection
Coming Home
When I took my first trip to Kalibo, my father took me to the graveyard to pay our respects, and the headstone read “Margaretta Tirazona”. I was named after my grandmother, my father’s mother. It was eerie, but I appreciated knowing my family. During that first visit, I was in awe of the family resemblance when seeing my cousins for the first time, and it started a lifelong exploration of connecting with where I was from. When Arnold and I had a family of our own, we took the kids there to see their ancestral roots. One day, I hope to bring my grandchildren to visit my family and the place my father called home.
cultural heritage, migration, ancestry, identity