So, what’s wrong?

The one quote attributed to me in the published article – about carrying an “inferiority complex” because of “colonial mentality” – only conveyed part of the story. As a news reporter myself, I can understand how this happens, given space limitations, deadlines and an editor interested mainly in sound bytes.

Expectedly, I got an e-mail from a reader – Roqueña R. Domingo of Arlington, Va. – who described the quote as “a generalization and a sweeping statement that does not fully characterize the entire Fil-am community.” This prompted her to write to the Post.<D> In her letter, which she was kind enough to share, Ms. Domingo wrote in part: “Maybe Mr. Melegrito is talking about his generation but this is not the feeling I get from the younger generation. New generations of Fil-ams treasure their American heritage and embrace their Filipino roots.”

She also pointed out to me that because “opportunities to speak about the Filipino community to mainstream media are rare in Washington, it is in everybody’s best interest to leverage these opportunities to highlight the positive aspects of Fil-Ams and their contributions to America.”

In my reply, I assured her that putting down Filipinos was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I made the same points to the Post<D> about “the ubiquitous presence of Filipino Americans” and how it is “strongly felt in American life – in homes, schools, hospitals, the Navy, the military, even the very halls of government and the private sector &frac14; They are always working hard and making a difference everywhere they go.” I’ve emphasized these points in my columns, even stating that the infrastructure of America will collapse if all Filipinos were to call in sick one day. I am also heartened, I said, that her generation is proud of their cultural heritage, that she is striving to do her best everyday “in becoming a responsible and hardworking citizen.”   

 And yet the question remains: why are Filipino Americans, the second-largest Asian minority, still an invisible community? Despite our occupational skills, educational  achievement, English proficiency, aggregate purchasing power and a relatively high economic status - why don’t we have the “political muscle” that draws the attention of policy makers?  Why can’t we project our economic power and become a magnet for politicians the way the Chinese, Japanese and South Asians have been able to do?

Why is our history and culture almost nonexistent in American classrooms? Why are books written by Filipino American authors not as widely promoted by American publishers? Why are the works of Filipino artists not more widely exhibited in major museums and galleries? Why do Filipino restaurants attract only Filipino customers?

I wish the Post<D> could have devoted more ink to this topic. I gave it my best shot, Ms. Domingo, I really did. It would have been illuminating to readers to understand some of the root causes of our visibility problem: that U.S. exclusionary policies earlier in the century stunted the all-sided development of the first wave community, that the Philippines is dwarfed by the more “exotic” and ancient Asian cultures of China and Japan which have tended to be more intriguing to American public taste, and that the U.S. media project mainly images of poverty and backwardness in the Philippines, undermining the collective prestige of Filipinos in America. I said all that, and more.

What then is the solution to this “low national self esteem” and “lingering colonial mentality” among Filipino immigrants? Filipino scholars and advocates say that only a conscious and deliberate assertion of ethnic pride, community empowerment and unity will solve this visibility problem. Leny Mendoza Strobel, in her book about decolonization, writes that.we need to recover our “indigenous consciousness” if we are to overcome our own inferiority complex. Writer Ben Santos used to say, sardonically, that we love to beat up on ourselves. This notion that we are doomed to fail because we are Filipinos (“Pilipino Kasi”) is insidiously damaging.      

Although US-born Filipinos don’t seem burdened by these baggage, they run the risk of modeling their parents’ behavior. Unlike their parents, however, the younger generation of Filipino Americans are asserting themselves more proudly and projecting a positive Filipino image and experience. This generation will be crucial in correcting our own cultural marginalization.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Filipino American Centennial Celebration is a historic milestone in marking our progress and celebrating our contributions. Finally, Americans can see us for who we really are. Not the curiosities and caricatures at the 1904 St. Louis Fair. But a heroic people with a proud history and a lasting legacy.

Two weeks ago, at the community farewell dinner for Ambassador and Mrs. Albert del Rosario, ordinary Filipino Americans with extraordinary accomplishments presented themselves as nurses and child care providers, engineers and entrepreneurs, lawyers and laborers, artists and writers. Much of the Filipino community’s progress has been due to  the immigration of professionals and skilled workers - part of what former Philippine foreign affairs secretary Raul Manglapus once described as “Philippine foreign aid to the United States.”  

At the Dr. Jose Rizal Awards last Saturday, program chairman Orly Barbosa challenged  the young awardees to be proud of their heritage and give back to their community. These young people beamed with hope and bright promise. That’s why we need to support leadership training institutions like the Filipino American Youth Dialogue and the Mabuhay<D> Youth Camp if we are to strengthen Filipino American identity and community spirit.  

Right here in our midst, a 34-year old Filipino American is running for public office.  Kris Valderrama-Lobo of Fort Washington hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and represent the 26th District in the Maryland Legislature. She represents a new generation of Filipinos who are truly staking their claim as Americans, accumulating the kind of political experience and developing the political savvy to transform our community into a formidable force. It is a vision for a community that seeks to be invisible no more.

But in order to make it happen, we must now take a cue from our children who are eager and ready to lead the way. As Ms. Domingo puts it, “I do not allow the past to dictate my future, rather, I grab hold of what this country has to offer and do my best to contribute to its development.”

Thank you, Ms. Domingo. Go for it, Kris!

E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com.