WORD NERDS: this is NOT your nanay's blog

I was never into doing Show and Tell back in grade school. Probably because I was hella shy and afraid of the kids snickering at me. And maybe, to some degree, I still am. So I guess I'm making up for the major lack of Show and Tell now... with this blog.

I took Asian American History I and II back in 2004. But not once was the case of Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez mentioned while we were studying the various waves of Filipino immigration.

Then last month, as Beats Rhymes and Rice at UC Irvine was fast approaching, Magsalita schooled me a little bit on the infamous court case.

Once I heard that it took place in Ann Arbor, MI in the '70s, I realized there was the strong possibility that my mom, at the very least, could tell me something. When my mom first immigrated to the US, she lived in Westland, MI, just outside of Detroit, for about 5 years. She and her 2 sisters worked as registered nurses in the area.

Also a few months ago, my mom was going through some old papers in her bedroom. I happened to be at home at the time. She showed me an old newspaper of her and my auntie protesting about something. I just wasn't sure what they were protesting for. I only so much as glanced as the newspaper. Didn't think much about it at the time.

Little did I know when I moved into this house with 4 other girls, it would be like 6 Degrees of Separation.

One of the girls... her boyfriend's mother happens to be one of the defendants in that infamous case. And how does my mom fit into the picture? She and my auntie protested in Ann Arbor after the verdict was announced.

The newspaper that my mom saved for over 30 years.


See the 2 women in all white standing next to each other? My mom's on the left, my auntie's on the right.




Shit matters as much now as it did back then.
I love my mom. She's awesome to the power of 10 and more.
And it really is a small world after all.

Labels: pinay, resistance, storytime

I've decided to take a new route with this blog. I'm attempting to have more focus and have more direction. I'm re-evaluating what this blog is, what it stands for, and what I'm trying to say/do/evoke with my words and thoughts. I want to deliver an alternative way to look at our world and have readers understand that I am constantly questioning, thinking, growing, changing and learning and every verb in between to inevitably figure out how to be a better person and find this in my community. Everything we do or absorb is rich with social meaning and I would like this blog to serve as a form of resistance against hegemonic ideals and perspectives. I've thought about this for a while now and here's what I'm come up with as far as what this blog's goals will be for the next few weeks (and yes, I do plan to update frequently):

• point out, deconstruct and perhaps reconstruct images conjured up by current events, pop culture, media bias, history and historiography, my own personal experiences, language, music, social situations, etc.
• write entries commenting on books/short stories/articles I've read and (don't) recommend
• post other forms of media that are examples of resistance for the Asian American community and other communities of color (videos, spoken word, poetry, paintings, etc.)
  
• continue to question, complicate, confuse and distort discourse on what "is" Asian American or Filipin@ American or American
• always consider aspects of identity and socialized oppressions
• write about a particular issue's relevance to youth today
• offer deeper analyses to contribute and (hopefully) further already existing knowledge on notions of Asian America and its intersection with ... life!

It's definitely important for me to step back and rethink my purpose and approach. Here's to a rough few weeks. =)

x_magsalita.

Labels: goals, resistance, uncertainty