But later on you found out that you couldn't go the other side of Main Street, or you couldn't own property. In the Fox Theater, which is the main theater in Stockton, we were not allowed. Filipinos were not allowed to sit in the center part of the movie theater. They were relegated to the side aisles against the walls. And that went on through probably the 40's and maybe even the 50's. Well, to understand racism and to understand the ways that Filipinos were treated, you have to really understand racism and the construction of race relations in the United States at the turn of the century.
Filipinos are essentially the only Asian immigrants entering at this time in which the U.S. essentially said, we are closing our doors to anybody who does not fit this racial stock that we imagine Americans should be made up of, which is white Anglo Saxon protestant racial stock. And so Filipinos are also coming into an area that is populated by people who have migrated from the Midwest and the South, and brought with them (Midwesterners and southerners) to California their ideas of racial superiority (and) rigid segregation, and so Stockton is an extremely segregated city. Why do they (the Filipinos) feel they can wear these suits and drive these cars and date anybody they want to? Well, that's what their American teachers tell(ing) them (what) they can do (as American residents) in the Philippines. It's important to remember that they grew up in an American colonial culture, and they come to the United States in part because of the extreme poverty that capitalism in American colonialism brings, that's for sure. But they also come to the United States because of the movies they see; because of stories that they hear; because of the teachers who tell them that America is this land of opportunity. They don't tell them about the racism in the United Sates. They don't tell them they're not allowed to go to certain places; that they're not going to be able to become citizens. In 1934, motivated by anti-Filipino sentiments, Congress passed the Tydings McDuffie Act which later granted independence to the Philippines, but restricted immigration of Filipinos to America to just 50 per year. (The) 1934, Tydings-McDuffie Act changed the status of Filipinos from nationals, which was this kind of in between status of colonial subjects, to aliens. One year later, Congress attempted to deport Filipinos from the U.S. with the Repatriation Act: a one-way ticket back to the Philippines. For many of these Filipinos to go back home on this one-way ticket and to have to promise to never come back was really seen as a slap in face from the American government. Filipinos knew what was happening. They knew that congress was essentially trying to stop Filipino immigrants from coming to the U.S. And then with the repatriation act, they saw that Filipinos were essentially being told to get out. And this becomes a rallying point for Filipinos to come around and another reason why Filipinos feel they need to create community organizations in order to give themselves, you know, give each other support. There was a Masonic Order brought over from the Philippines called the Gran Oriente. There was the Legionarios del Trabajo, there was the Caballeros de Masalan, and there was the Filipino Federation of America. And so Filipinos from Stockton could choose from any number of these fraternal orders to find companionship, to find support, (and) to find family. Stockton leaders like Claro Candelario sought out justice for the Filipino community. He spoke against racism, the gambling halls and other businesses taking advantage of Filipinos, as well as the unfair labor practices against farm workers. I think, really and truly, my dad felt that there has to be something better from the Filipinos, also. But when he came to Stockton, he found out how these agricultural workers were really treated, (and) where they lived. And, well, he just got involved in the movement. In 1939, Filipino labor leaders organized an asparagus strike in Stockton demanding the restoration of higher wages. Their strike was so successful that all but two growers agreed to their terms.
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AuthorMike created this blog to help people in finding a good job. Mike is a guest writer and online gambler player at Crasinoslots https://casinoslots-sa.co.za/ . He likes hunting, hiking and extreme sports, esport, poker. Archives
August 2019
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