May Is Asian American and Pacific Islander Month: A Personal Reflection
The month of May was designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by Congress in 1992.
One of my favorite things is stories. Specifically, I have always been interested in people's stories and how the experiences in their lives have shaped who they are today. As a daughter of Filipino immigrants who moved to Hawaii in 1970 with their extended families in search of a "better life," I have been heavily influenced by both my Filipino heritage and the traditions of Pacific Islanders.
Four generations of my family: my parents, my husband and me and my kids, my nieces and nephews and their children.
I was the only one in my immediate family born in Hawaii. My early life consisted of large family get-togethers with cousins of all ages running around playing games and getting into various amounts of mischief. I can hear the loud chatter of two generations of adults. The cadence of the Filipino language was a source of comfort when surrounded by my extended family. The cacophony that occurred when everyone was talking and laughing at the same time was the score of every weekend – adults speaking in Filipino to all the children and the children responding in English.
The Filipino children of my generation were the connecting generation. Connecting our families to the ways of Hawaii and America, a translator of sorts. At home we were living with the foods, language, cultural traditions and faith of the Philippines while trying to assimilate to the Hawaiian culture which, in itself, is a specific American experience. While Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, it remains a unique cultural experience that is influenced by the fusion of many ethnic influences including native Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Samoan and other Pacific Islanders including those from Tonga, Fiji and Tahiti.
My life eventually brought me to Seattle for college where I experienced a kind of reorganization of my sense of belonging. Mostly on my own, living and going to school in a new city, I had to figure out what was required of me now to succeed and to accomplish the things for which my parents and family had sacrificed. The heavy feelings of responsibility and gratitude kept me on track and pushed me to keep going and be the first of the "cousins" to graduate from college.
A single generation of cousins from my extended family.
As I reflect today, raising my family in Seattle, I have come to appreciate all the influences of my upbringing. The deep faith and community of the Philippines, the authenticity of the "aloha" spirit and the pride of the Pacific Islanders in expressing the love of their culture and traditions – whether I am watching the beauty of hula, hearing the chants of the Samoan or Fijian people or watching people perform the traditional Filipino dance of tinikling. I can now recognize that all these influences have broadened my ability to be open to hearing others' stories, knowing that each individual's story is made up of all the cultural influences they've encountered throughout their life.
Thank you for joining me in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage this month.
