Unlike the horns of a dilemma, the horns of racism in America are not easily detectable because they are very subtle, especially if you're new to the country, or "fresh off the boat," so to say.
Gie didn't even know that she was already being bullied by some of her colleagues at her job in downtown New York City because of her naivete, or she was new in the US, until her friend (a big black lady Gie introduced to me when I came to their office to pick her up after they gave her a Baby Shower,) would come to her rescue, and shouted at them to stop, and her seemingly innocuous tormentors would scurry around in silence.
Well, I'd been in the USA for almost 40 years now, fourteen years more than in the land of my birth the Philippines, and considered it my home since the birth of my two children here, although I did not change my citizenship until I came back from my native land, and realized the hassle of going through US Immigration if you were not a US citizen. But, the real reason of course was I felt more comfortable and attuned to life here in the US, than in the Philippines, inspite of institutionalized racism, and white supremacy.
Yet, to this day, I cringe, when I still hear white American men or women tell Koreans or other Asians "to go back to their own country," or "speak English" if they didn't like what the Asian did or said, and he or she could barely talk in English; just like the first time I heard it, while I was in line at a grocery store 35 years ago, when a Korean lady came back to her cart behind me after picking up something she missed, and the white couple at the back of her shoved her to the back of the line.
Of course, I ran to her defense, not because she was a fellow Asian, but because she was telling the truth, and the white American couple felt entitled, and that they were superior to her for being born here, and speaking English fluently, because they had a natural disdain for her being an alien or immigrant to this country, which I thought was racist, and ripe with white supremacy; after all, we we're all products of immigration in the US-- the Land of Immigrants so to speak, where the original settlers, and descendants were Western Indians.
Now you know how I felt when my 3-year old daughter Claire-Voe came up to me and said that her teacher, who was white, wouldn't call her, but kept calling the blond girl in class, even though she raised her hand all the time.
How about when my son Osbert who was in kindergarten said that his classmates kept calling him Chinese; and I asked him if he's Chinese; and he said no, because he's American. I told him that he's also a fourth generation Filipino-American because both of his parents were Filipino-Americans, who were college-educated and professionals in the Philippines, when they immigrated, and became naturalized US citizens in America.
I told them also not to think that they were superior or inferior to Blacks, Whites, Jews, Muslims, or any of their classmates, because they were Filipino-Americans, or their skin color was brown; but that we we're all equal in God's Eyes, Who created as according to His Image-- our Father in Heaven, Who is Perfect, Rich, and Kind to all of us, beyond measure. And because my children had more questions than answers, we designated after every meal as our question and answer session, while Gie, who just listened to us discussing any topic under the sun, showed her love and support by taking care of the meal and the dishes,, while making sure that we're all together, at least for one meal a day.
My goal was two-folds for them to realize and learn logic at an early age, aside from fighting systemic racism, and white supremacy, because I love my children, and the country that they were born into, which I also chose for myself as my new home, and pledged my allegiance to, after renouncing my previous citizenship, namely: Nobody will discriminate, or be prejudiced against you in the US unless you allow it, because you don't have enough knowledge and self-esteem to counter it; and you need to use your common sense, think straight, or reason out correctly for yourself; and not waver if you're certain without a doubt, that your judgments are true, and your arguments are sound or inferences valid, without disrespecting your opponent,.
But of course, there was never enough time for discussion because I was very busy working two jobs; while Claire-Voe would just keep quiet if she sensed that Gie and me were not talking to one another. Besides, how could I discuss with them the importance of education, and teach them how to argue, if they were not being taught about the importance of their Filipino heritage, apart from eating Filipino foods, and learning how to speak Pilipino, which was the first language they learned at home through Papa & Mama, who babysat them for two years before going back to the Philippines, and our children started Catholic Pre-School.
Thank God for Ima Delos Reyes-- the oficial Grandma of the growing Filipino community in Bergenfield, New Jersey, who told me that I was the most visible Filipino in town because of my real estate For Sale signs all over Bergenfield and surrounding towns, my wife's Filipino-American Deli Store & Lottery, and our children's active participation as Altar Servers & Choir Members in St. John's Catholic Church, while prodding me to start the first Filipino organization in the borough.
I did, with the help of the owners of eight Filipino businesses in town. We march for the first time at the annual Memorial Day Parade, using our motto: "Building Friendship, Peace, and Harmony in Our Community" in our banner, became active participants in all the borough's endeavors, including its Foundation Day & Picnic, and we're instrumental in registering Filipino voters, and electing the first Filipino-American Mayor in the Eastern Seaboard.
And as the Founder & 1st President of the Filipino-American Association of Bergenfield, Inc., I made sure that all our children were learning about their Filipino Heritage, by launching the Filipiniana Collection of Filipino books, CD's, and Videos in Bergenfield Free Public Library & Information Center, after being appointed as Library Trustee by the Mayor, and staging the annual Filipino program consisting of Symposiums, Performing & Non-Performing Arts, such as Filipino Folk Dancers, and Painting Exhibition by a Filipino Artist.
Not only that, but I noticed that our "Friendly Town of Bergenfield," which was predominantly white, became friendlier, and more welcoming literally during a reception that we tendered to new homeowners & tenants, not only as a member of the town's Outreach Program, and the Prevention Policy Board, but as a real estate broker-salesperson as well. In fact, our Pastor of St. John Church finally relented with the approval of the Parish Council to hire a Filipino priest as Parochial Vicar; and Gie & myself started the Filipino Mass, and Filipino Choir every first Sunday of the month.
Finally, the hardworking Filipinos, especially the nurses, heard about our friendly town, and moved out of New York City to settle in Bergenfield, which was convenient to City buses, and became an integral part of the Bergenfield Community. And, we lived harmoniously with everybody, including the cops in town-- two of them even bought or sold houses through me; the one behind our store even changed our roof; and the other policeman on the right of us was also very nice to us, and came to our store with his wife, who was very friendly with Gie.
By the way, they were all white, including our fellow Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers in church, all our children's public school teachers, who bought sandwiches in our store during lunch. Our town was multi-racial, and our store catered to everybody, but we had no problems. I listed and sold houses to all races also, and I had no problems either.
Looking back, I think that we all lived harmoniously, and encountered no racial inequality or white supremacy because we respected each other, and we were all busy making a living for our families here in the US.
(TO BE CONTINUED WITH CONCLUSIONS & PREDICTIONS...)
Gie didn't even know that she was already being bullied by some of her colleagues at her job in downtown New York City because of her naivete, or she was new in the US, until her friend (a big black lady Gie introduced to me when I came to their office to pick her up after they gave her a Baby Shower,) would come to her rescue, and shouted at them to stop, and her seemingly innocuous tormentors would scurry around in silence.
Well, I'd been in the USA for almost 40 years now, fourteen years more than in the land of my birth the Philippines, and considered it my home since the birth of my two children here, although I did not change my citizenship until I came back from my native land, and realized the hassle of going through US Immigration if you were not a US citizen. But, the real reason of course was I felt more comfortable and attuned to life here in the US, than in the Philippines, inspite of institutionalized racism, and white supremacy.
Yet, to this day, I cringe, when I still hear white American men or women tell Koreans or other Asians "to go back to their own country," or "speak English" if they didn't like what the Asian did or said, and he or she could barely talk in English; just like the first time I heard it, while I was in line at a grocery store 35 years ago, when a Korean lady came back to her cart behind me after picking up something she missed, and the white couple at the back of her shoved her to the back of the line.
Of course, I ran to her defense, not because she was a fellow Asian, but because she was telling the truth, and the white American couple felt entitled, and that they were superior to her for being born here, and speaking English fluently, because they had a natural disdain for her being an alien or immigrant to this country, which I thought was racist, and ripe with white supremacy; after all, we we're all products of immigration in the US-- the Land of Immigrants so to speak, where the original settlers, and descendants were Western Indians.
Now you know how I felt when my 3-year old daughter Claire-Voe came up to me and said that her teacher, who was white, wouldn't call her, but kept calling the blond girl in class, even though she raised her hand all the time.
How about when my son Osbert who was in kindergarten said that his classmates kept calling him Chinese; and I asked him if he's Chinese; and he said no, because he's American. I told him that he's also a fourth generation Filipino-American because both of his parents were Filipino-Americans, who were college-educated and professionals in the Philippines, when they immigrated, and became naturalized US citizens in America.
I told them also not to think that they were superior or inferior to Blacks, Whites, Jews, Muslims, or any of their classmates, because they were Filipino-Americans, or their skin color was brown; but that we we're all equal in God's Eyes, Who created as according to His Image-- our Father in Heaven, Who is Perfect, Rich, and Kind to all of us, beyond measure. And because my children had more questions than answers, we designated after every meal as our question and answer session, while Gie, who just listened to us discussing any topic under the sun, showed her love and support by taking care of the meal and the dishes,, while making sure that we're all together, at least for one meal a day.
My goal was two-folds for them to realize and learn logic at an early age, aside from fighting systemic racism, and white supremacy, because I love my children, and the country that they were born into, which I also chose for myself as my new home, and pledged my allegiance to, after renouncing my previous citizenship, namely: Nobody will discriminate, or be prejudiced against you in the US unless you allow it, because you don't have enough knowledge and self-esteem to counter it; and you need to use your common sense, think straight, or reason out correctly for yourself; and not waver if you're certain without a doubt, that your judgments are true, and your arguments are sound or inferences valid, without disrespecting your opponent,.
But of course, there was never enough time for discussion because I was very busy working two jobs; while Claire-Voe would just keep quiet if she sensed that Gie and me were not talking to one another. Besides, how could I discuss with them the importance of education, and teach them how to argue, if they were not being taught about the importance of their Filipino heritage, apart from eating Filipino foods, and learning how to speak Pilipino, which was the first language they learned at home through Papa & Mama, who babysat them for two years before going back to the Philippines, and our children started Catholic Pre-School.
Thank God for Ima Delos Reyes-- the oficial Grandma of the growing Filipino community in Bergenfield, New Jersey, who told me that I was the most visible Filipino in town because of my real estate For Sale signs all over Bergenfield and surrounding towns, my wife's Filipino-American Deli Store & Lottery, and our children's active participation as Altar Servers & Choir Members in St. John's Catholic Church, while prodding me to start the first Filipino organization in the borough.
I did, with the help of the owners of eight Filipino businesses in town. We march for the first time at the annual Memorial Day Parade, using our motto: "Building Friendship, Peace, and Harmony in Our Community" in our banner, became active participants in all the borough's endeavors, including its Foundation Day & Picnic, and we're instrumental in registering Filipino voters, and electing the first Filipino-American Mayor in the Eastern Seaboard.
And as the Founder & 1st President of the Filipino-American Association of Bergenfield, Inc., I made sure that all our children were learning about their Filipino Heritage, by launching the Filipiniana Collection of Filipino books, CD's, and Videos in Bergenfield Free Public Library & Information Center, after being appointed as Library Trustee by the Mayor, and staging the annual Filipino program consisting of Symposiums, Performing & Non-Performing Arts, such as Filipino Folk Dancers, and Painting Exhibition by a Filipino Artist.
Not only that, but I noticed that our "Friendly Town of Bergenfield," which was predominantly white, became friendlier, and more welcoming literally during a reception that we tendered to new homeowners & tenants, not only as a member of the town's Outreach Program, and the Prevention Policy Board, but as a real estate broker-salesperson as well. In fact, our Pastor of St. John Church finally relented with the approval of the Parish Council to hire a Filipino priest as Parochial Vicar; and Gie & myself started the Filipino Mass, and Filipino Choir every first Sunday of the month.
Finally, the hardworking Filipinos, especially the nurses, heard about our friendly town, and moved out of New York City to settle in Bergenfield, which was convenient to City buses, and became an integral part of the Bergenfield Community. And, we lived harmoniously with everybody, including the cops in town-- two of them even bought or sold houses through me; the one behind our store even changed our roof; and the other policeman on the right of us was also very nice to us, and came to our store with his wife, who was very friendly with Gie.
By the way, they were all white, including our fellow Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers in church, all our children's public school teachers, who bought sandwiches in our store during lunch. Our town was multi-racial, and our store catered to everybody, but we had no problems. I listed and sold houses to all races also, and I had no problems either.
Looking back, I think that we all lived harmoniously, and encountered no racial inequality or white supremacy because we respected each other, and we were all busy making a living for our families here in the US.
(TO BE CONTINUED WITH CONCLUSIONS & PREDICTIONS...)
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