A Filipino American Hope
by Phil Tajitsu Nash

A rare opportunity to run a veteran state legislator for a recently vacated Congressional seat is expected to be the hottest topic among Filipino Americans and other politically-savvy Asian Americans gathering at Washington’s Capitol Hilton on Sept. 29.

Their goal is an eighth Asian American in Congress in November 2000, and their hope is in 34-year-old Jon Amores, a third-term delegate from West Virginia who represents the state’s 30th District, the largest and most populous. It includes the capital city of Charleston and Kanawha County.

Among Asian Americans in Congress, we have seen an Asian Indian (Dalip Singh Saund, a California Democrat), a Korean American (California Republican Jay Kim), a Chinese American (Republican Hiram Fong from Hawaii) and Japanese Americans, including Republicans S.I Hayakawa from California and Patsy Saiki from Hawaii and Democrats Norm Mineta of California and Spark Matsunaga. Lawmakers now in office include longtime veteran Rep. Bob Matsui of California and Patsy Mink of Hawaii, both Democrats, and Democratic Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka (who is of Native Hawaiian and Chinese descent). Nonvoting representatives from Pacific Island territories include Guamanian Robert Underwood and Samoan Eni Faliomavaega,respectively.

But we have seen no Filipino Americans so far, though they have long been a part of the fabric of American life. They have worked as migrant workers and union organizers,as captured in the writings of Carlos Bulosan, Teresita Laygo, and Bienvenito Santos, The relaxation of immigration laws in 1965 ushered in an influx of health care workers and other professionals, who have had a significant impact on Asian American communities all over the nation.

As a group, they seem to enjoy politics. Filipino Americans -- the second largest Asian ethnicity in the United States after Chinese Americans -- have served as mayors and council members on the local level, as well as in state legislatures around the country. Topping the list is Hawaii’s Democratic governor, Ben Cayetano. Thelma Garcia Buchholdt served as Alaska state representative from 1974 to 1983, and Democrats David Valderrama and Ron Menor currently serve the people of Prince Georges County, Md., and Mililani, Hawaii, respectively. On the Republican side, David Pendleton is minority floor leader in the Hawaiíi state legislature; even Democrats acknowledge that he has a bright future in politics.

Yet Filipino Americans have a different immigration history than many of their counterparts of Chinese and Japanese descent. Hundreds of years of Spanish rule and Roman Catholic religion has given them a perspective different from the Confucian-based philosophy dominant among Chinese and Japanese Americans, who have disproportionately served as API spokespeople since the 1970s.

In some ways, the Asian American community’s reaction to the Amores candidacy will tell us all how far we have come toward a truly pan-Asian American ideal. Filipino Americans have been the largest block of Asian American voters for many years, because they have high rates of naturalization and voter participation, but have not had leadership roles and other advantages commensurate with this status. Chinese and Japanese American leaders have been comfortable telling government officials and political party bosses that they speak for all Asian Americans, but the sad reality is that Filipino Americans,as well as South Asians, Southeast Asians, Korean Americans, and Pacific Islanders have not gotten their fair share.

Fortunately, visionary leaders including Mineta have agreed to organize the Sept. 29 event for Amores, and other Asian Americans are stepping forward. At last, a truly pan-Asian American community is emerging.