Nevada Day Parade, Filipino-American Association of Carson City
Making the "Invisible" Fil-Ams Visible
The Filipinos were the first Asians to immigrate to the United States. In 1763, after fleeing mistreatment aboard Spanish ships, Filipinos established the small settlement of Saint Malo (in what would later became the state of Louisiana) where they were said to have kept their existence a secret for over a hundred years.
With the population of over 3.4 million (as of the 2010 US Census), Fil-Ams (Filipino Americans) ranks the second largest American Asian group in the United States and among the most educated and most prosperous—more prosperous than White Americans!—with an average annual household income of US$75,146.
Among overseas Filipinos, the Fil-Ams are the largest group and, with their earnings, it’s no wonder why they send the most dollars to the Philippines.
Despite the Fil-Ams advantages, however, they are considered “invisible” among Asian Americans. Because of their high education, facility in the use of the English language and having come from an already Americanized country, Fil-Ams have the ability to quickly assimilate into the dominant American culture.
The ability to effortlessly adapt to mainstream America may be a good thing as it makes Filipinos easily accepted. However, such invisibility may also be a reason why Filipino’s participation and influence in American public life, especially in politics, has been meager. Thus it can be said that from old Saint Malo to present day Los Angeles, California or New York City, Filipinos seem to have been good at keeping their existence a “secret.”
One of Philfortune's goal is to encourage Fil-Ams to become more visible in the political arena and follow the example of the likes of Benjamin J. Cayetano, the first Filipino American governor in the U.S. (Hawaii), or John Ensign, a former U.S. Senator from Nevada, who says he is one eighth (1/8) Filipino (his Philippine-born paternal grandfather was half Filipino) and who once appeared to have the potential of becoming U.S. President.
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