Filipino American Identity

What is the cultural identity of the Filipino? I have thought about this concept as I read through Linda Revilla’s “Filipino American Identity”. According to Rivera, the two main factors that have affected the sense or definition of “Filipino American Identity” are colonization and immigration. The vision of a Filipino in my mind is someone whose identity is culturally resilient in adapting and overcoming adversity and yet so culturally fractured in our identity. For me the concept of being Filipino had always been exotic because Filipinos have been known to live around the world in different areas adapting to their environments uniquely. I feel it is never too late to learn about one’s culture and roots. I also feel that there are many Filipinos that also feel the same way as me in regards to finding a cultural link to what it means to be Filipino, and those who immigrate to the U.S. without knowing their cultural heritage and those born in the U.S. who might even have the opportunity to experience it. I’ve always been envious of being truly Filipino. The only knowledge that I have about the original Filipinos is from my grandfather. He was a World War II Veteran. He was a guerilla warfare soldier in the Philippines and helped aid the U.S., which helped benefit his family. He was granted his green card because of the military and led his family to the states for a better life. My grandfather and grandmother had fifteen children and my mom was the youngest. If he was not granted that green card to work in the U.S., my family would still be behind in a generation of a Filipino-American. But what makes someone Filipino, and from what I’ve noticed, it is not necessarily the looks, language, and culture, but the patterned belief of being culturally resilient and being culturally fractured at the same time.
Filipinos are resilient. We have been able to overcome years of hardships and horrors and still continue to fight and overcome the prejudice both in the