Get Rid of ALL Filipinos or We'll Burn this Town Down
Stumbled upon this poster while looking for Depression-era signage.
According to the source on the personal website of a UCLA reference librarian:
This is just one of several signs seen in California in the late 1920s and 1930s. Another such sign read, No Dogs or Filipinos Allowed. And yet another sign threatened towns that did not get rid of Filipinos. It was a time when Filipino were made to feel unwelcome and were even victims of racial violence. Anti-Filipino riots broke out in Exeter in the San Joaquin Valley, and in Watsonville, and even spilled over into other communities in California, such as Stockton. There were anti-Filipino incidents elsewhere in this same time period, such as in Yakima, Washington.
c/o:
“Origin of poster: Positively No Filipinos Allowed ?”, in Americans of Filipino Descent - FAQs
- by Eloisa Gomez Borah
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/eloisa.borah/filfaqs.htm#poster
- INTERESTING… THOUGHTS?
- 3 months ago
- 34
Created on June 24, 1995 by Eliseo Silva, and located in Unidad Park of Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, “Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana” (“Filipino Americans: A Glorious History, A Golden Legacy”) captures over 5,000 years of Filipino and Filipino-American history. At the center of the cultural heart of the community, it is one of Historic Filipinotown’s key landmarks and is the nation’s largest Filipino-American mural, which illustrates our legacies as Filipinos in the Philippines and the United States. Prominent historical figures are painted proudly across: Lapu-Lapu, Jose Rizal, Gabriela Silang, Emilio Aguinaldo, Andres Bonfacio, Philip Vera Cruz, Larry Itliong, Ninoy Aquino, and more. Key events are portrayed, such as the settlement of Manila Village in Louisiana, Bataan Death March of WWII, Delano Grape Strike of 1965, and People Power Revolution. Filipinos of popular culture and entertainment are also depicted, such as Lea Solonga, Apl.de.ap, and Manny Pacquiao. There is a myriad of images and details so it is highly recommended to be viewed in person. As a whole, this vividly rich panorama of Filipino history, culture, and current events tells our story through our perspective.
- 4 months ago
- 7
At around this same time last year, I was in the Philippines. I cannot believe it has been a year already. I love my family. I love being Filipino. I was not born in the Philippines, but my bloodline runs from its roots. As soon as I returned to the states, I needed to express the love and gratitude I have for my family the only way I knew how to, which was to write this song from my dearest memories shared with them.
Interesting Facts: When I initially recorded and released this song, I went by Double-I. The footage is edited in chronological order from leaving the states to leaving the Philippines.
FREE DOWNLOAD - Break Time’s Over Mixtape: http://www.mediafire.com/?wdssimjrctu7t
All rights reserved to Mac Miller’s “Best Day Ever.”
I’m from Union City/ rep it like graffiti/
Now livin’ in Hollywood, feel good in this city/
But home is overseas/ come fly/ if you with me/
The Philippines/ where the roots grew in the beginning/
Now shoots through the roof/ see the sky is the ceiling/
I see you Nanay,/ smile/ I hope you still forgive me/
Jeepneys sittin’ in/ On the boats fishin’/
Mangoes mixed in/ I wanna go visit/ visit
*And not come back/
I packed four boxes don’t bother to hold me back/
I got my cousins, ate’s and kuya’s, and Lolo Dad/
Tito’s, tita’s, ninong’s, and ninang’s, are who I have/
I know the homeland, has its own drama/
But maybe if I was there man/ I could help solve it//
‘Cause I’m a dreamer/ that’s what my dream is/
It was all a dream/ no wonder, I dream BIG/
Someday I’ll be there to say “I’ll be here”/
Red Horse, San Mig Light, what we drink here/
Crispy pata, sisig/ what we eat here/
Ang lahat ng pamilya ko/ who I’ll see here/ (soon)
No matter where I’m staying/ find me with a smile/
Running across the city, try to chase me down/
My heart goes to the Philippines/
It got me wishing from dream to dream/ (hey, hey)
So I’m just going to hope the next time/ I open my eyes now/
We will be together/ this gon’ be the best trip ever/
Las Pinas City/ and Cavite/
Feel on top of the world/ like driving on the skyway/
Hey/ getting taho in the morning/
It’s summer but outside it’s pouring/
I wanna have a good time/ everybody know/
Playing monopoly deal with my cousins in the room/
This is just how we do/ like Filipino food/
Make sure to bring my cam/ catch it all on video/
‘Cause when I be in the states/ everybody gone/
All I got are FaceTime, photographs, and this song/
I hold onto the moment/ like the last call/
I wanna travel again like basketball/
If I could/ I’d bring ‘em here/ I’m aware of my privilege/
Americans can travel anywhere/ in an instant// it is/
Unfair/ I wish they could be right here/
So we can live together, just live life here/
- 5 months ago
Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Masculinity, and Homophobia
In the matter of two days, Manny Pacquiao has managed to alienate himself from significant parts of his fan base by stating some rather eyebrow-raising opinions about queer men and same-sex marriage. Firstly, he criticized President Obama’s beliefs about same-sex marriage. Next, it’s now been reported by the LA Weekly that he believes queer men should be put to death.
The responses I’ve seen have gone along the lines of “Pacquiao should just stick to boxing and keep his nose out of other people’s business–particularly if his own marriage could use some work.” Honestly though, it feels a little too easy to put Pacquiao on the whipping stand. It feels like this is a golden opportunity for Filipino and Filipino American LGBTs to expose the homophobia, transphobia and sexism that is in our cultures and educate our communities.
For many Filipinos and Filipino Americans, it’s easy to box us LGBTs into neat little boxes that go along the stereotypes: the effeminate male hairdressers, the butch women who insist on being called “pare” (or brother), etc. I struggled with my sexual identity within this cultural context. I wasn’t fem enough for my family to be comfortable with my sexual identity; I had no desires to be a hairdresser either. At the same time, I bristled against the homophobic, transphobic and heterosexist ramblings done by my male relatives whenever queer men were seen on popular Filipino TV shows and movies. Queer men and women in Filipino TV shows and movies are often seen as predatory, incapable of maintaining healthy relationships with their partners, and are just used for comic relief. Very few representations exist where we are seen through a more human lens.
When I was coming out 20 years ago, I thought that there really was no one like me, Filipino American, queer and comfortable with my masculinity. I often thought of suicide growing up because I didn’t want to burden my family with the stigma of me being gay; never mind that I’m one of the more successful people in my generation now.
Partly because of that reason, this feels like it’s an opportunity for my fellow Filipino and Filipino American LGBTs to not only put Pacquiao to task–but our cultures as well. We have to stop turning the other way when we see homophobic, transphobic and heterosexist representations of ourselves in the media. We need to start showing our side of the story; how we’ve struggled to fight through these stereotypes and be who we are, and proud of who we are.
Yes, what Pacquiao said is extremely fucked up. But his opinions are the product of a culture that promotes this homophobia and transphobia. We need to educate ourselves and those in our community that this is something that will no longer be tolerated.
- 1 year ago
- 73
