Hello! :) Long time no blog. I'm very sorry I have been neglecting you all, but here I am, once again. Today's topic is what the title says: Multiracial, Multiethnic, and Filipino American Adoptees.
Remember how I mentioned the book we're reading in this English course I'm taking? It's called Filipino American Psychology by Kevin L. Nadal. My group and I presented on the topic aforementioned. To view the presentation as I speak of certain topics, just click the "play" button. Or to look at it alone, you may go to "more" then click "fullscreen" to watch it blown up.
First and foremost, I would like to explain the title of our presentation. I'm sure most of us are aware of of a section of either a test that includes a scantron, a section when voting, a section when filling out paperwork, just a general area where it asks for one to state their race.. Correct? Well, in certain cases, people are biracial or multiracial. In other words, people can be more than just one race. Therefore, people have to choose one race over the other if there is no option to choose more than one (which there rarely is). Now we chose this sort of title instead of a regular title because it is a pathos appeal. Not only does the presentation speak to our audience, but it makes you feel something if you have been in such a scenario. Also, this chapter mentions how people have had to choose a certain race. Unfortunate, right?
Next, I would like to interpret the visual of the presentation. It is a circle, and moves round-and-round like a Ferris wheel would. This is because the chapter focused on many multi/biracial and multi/biethnic statistics and stories, so it was complicated to come up with distinct topics. So to break it down, my group decided on a circle because it flows, just as the information throughout the chapter, and intertwines all the information.
Now I will discuss my own part of the presentation I had to present during class. Interracial Relationships.
History:
- In pre-colonial and colonial Philippines, Filipinos married outside of their race -- Chinese, Indian, Muslim, Missionaries, Spanish Colonizers
- In the early 1900s, Filipinos moved to the Westcoast
- 15:1 ratio of Filipino American men to Filipino American women
Anti-Miscegenation Laws:
Laws in California as early as 1850...
- Whites not allowed to marry outside of their own race
- In 1880, CA passed laws that prohibited Mongolians from marrying whites (including those of Mexican and European descent)
- Mongolians: referred to Asian descent
Anti-Filipino Sentiment:
Filipino men views as sexual competition for Whites
- Many white women interested in Filipino men because respectful -- didn't abide by dominant, masculine gender roles
- Not many Filipino women were around
- This was around the time of the Great Depression, many whites lost their job
- Filipino men still had menials jobs (ex. farm workers) and were thought to have been stealing jobs
- Stereotype: Filipino men were hypersexual and sexual deviants -- this made them targets of discrimination
- While there were laws in place to prevent interracial marriages, there were many attempts to keep Filipino men at a distance from white women
Loving vs. Virginia:
- Interracial marriage for Filipino Americans and other groups were debated in the court system
- In 1933, the CA Supreme Court ruled Filipino Americans to be "Malay"" instead of Mongolians -- allowed them to marry whites
- In 1948, extensive repeal of anti-miscegenation laws -- allowed interracial marriages
Contemporary:
In present times...
- Trends in interracial and interethnic marriage noticeable differ for Filipino Americas more than other Asian Americans
- Endogamous: least likely to marry within their ethnic group
- Higher rates of interracial marriages than Asian Americans; Filipino women > Filipino men
- Differences between racial and ethnic group between men and women:
- Men: White, Hispanic/Latina
- Women: Black, Hispanic/Latino
And there you go for my portion of the presentation! Any questions? Feel free to comment. Thank you! :)
