Stand up and be counted Â? ItÂ?s our history too!

By Remé Grefalda
Raise a glass! This one’s for History—Asian American history as written by members of each community: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Koreans and Vietnamese. It will, without a doubt, prove to be an important resource material for university students and researchers. Here is a comprehensive compilation documenting the Asian American struggle in America. Enhancing the book’s contents (25 essays) are numerous illustrations of archival documents, posters, paintings, news articles and photographs. The cover photo aptly depicts the apex of the movement during the late seventies when Manilatown in downtown San Francisco was the scene of massive demonstrations by the Asian American community in solidarity with the Filipino old timers (manongs) who were evicted from their home, the International Hotel.
In the preface, Don T. Nakanishi, Director and Professor of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, states “I would have not envisioned such a rich and comprehensive project thirty years ago. The book thus reflects the scholarly development of Asian American Studies at UCLA and its continuous linkages with those activists in the community who dared to imagine, seek, and work towards a more just society.”
The Filipino American struggle and achievements are depicted in essays written by Prosy Abarquez Delacruz, Carol Ojeda-Kimbraugh, and Rose Ibanez, with an introduction by Cecile Caguingin Ochoa. Carlos Bulosan’s writings and words were not lost on youthful activists of that period. Also focusing their commitment to the struggle for justice was labor activist, Philip Vera Cruz. The Filipinos’ struggle began with the fight against the dictatorship of Marcos in the years when being labeled an “aktibista” was synonymous with being a card-carrying communist, anathema to friends and family. They were years when young Filipino activists were proudly visible because they had a family of brothers and sisters in the Black community, in the Latino community and with every Asian American community, solidarity in issues and causes wasn’t just possible—solidarity happened <C5,5,0,0,0,0> Reprinted from <D><C255>OUR OWN VOICE www.oovrag.com/