Topical Blog Post #1

May 2 was a historic day for Filipinos.

Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino icon and proclaimed pound for pound boxing champion, fought against Ricky Hatton, one of the best boxers from Great Brittan.

After two swift rounds that ended in a brutal knockout, Pacquiao, also known as “Pacman”, emerged with a convincing win.

Not only did this battle feel like a victory for the Philippines, but it also added to one of the many reasons why I am proud to be Filipino.

Since I was young, I've been proud of my heritage and have loved the Philippines and my countrymen there.

My parents encouraged me to develop a sense of nationalism: speaking the language, read Filipino newspapers, watch Filipino entertainment, know the history, and understand the culture.
They taught me how to speak Tagalog, which I still speak fluently.

But for some reason, I do not see Filipino nationalism among the Filipino-Americans I have met.

I feel that some Filipino-Americans, especially the youth, have forgotten or have never had a chance to know about true Filipino culture.

It saddens me to know that those are the same Filipino-Americans that would ridicule and poke fun at native Filipinos.

I don't understand why some Filipino-Americans would laugh every time someone speaks with a Tagalog accent.

My ex-girlfriend, who recently moved to the United States, told me she would feel uncomfortable being around Filipino-Americans because she felt that they might laugh at her English.

Are they unaware that their Filipino accent jokes are hurtful?

If these Filipino-Americans lack knowledge about Filipino culture and language, there are several things they can do.

They can teach themselves with language-teaching kits available at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

They can learn some Filipino history by reading books about the Philippines. Also, Filipino Americans can take Asian American Studies 125, a class on Filipino American Experience in the United States taught by Assistant Professor Estella Habal.

There are many ways Filipino-Americans can develop a sense of nationalism. It just takes a lot of effort.

By learning about the culture and the language, Filipino-Americans would become more united Filipinos and there would be no hard feelings between the two.