Mula Noon, Hanggang Ngayon: Your Asian-American Vote Counts
“Despite the long journey to get here, it still feels like 1960 all over again.”
Photo from ABC News
By Allie Gagalang (Bay Area, CA)
January 30, 2022
I have thought about this a lot: what part of the last couple of years hurt me the most as an Asian-American?
Was it the ugly name-calling?
Was it the continuous physical violence on our elderly?
Was it being blamed for “bringing in” the Coronavirus to the U.S.?
I have decided that it’s all of the above. It is both painful and frightening to not just witness but also become a possible target of the assault on the Asian-American community - an impunity disguised as patriotism.
If you have spent just a year in the United States as a person of color, you would know what it feels like to be “othered”. It’s the thing that white people do to make you feel like you don’t belong in the same space as they do. I have experienced it myself; in line to board an airplane to Dallas, in a store shopping, and sometimes in a fancy restaurant in Palo Alto while you’re celebrating Mother’s Day with your family.
It’s crazy because in challenging and tense situations like those I previously mentioned, the line that Héctor Elizondo’s character told Anne Hathaway in the movie The Princess Diaries always enters in my mind - a quote which happens to come from Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Those words from the famous former FLOTUS then become a consistent reminder that it’s up to me if I let them make me feel small.
“It is both painful and frightening to not just witness but also become a possible target of the assault on the Asian-American community - an impunity disguised as patriotism.”
But as much as that quote is supposed to supercharge me (and all immigrants, for that matter), if I am being honest, I don’t think Eleanor had institutionalized racism in mind when she said that. Plus, as sweet and adorable as Joe maybe, I am not a Genovian princess who has the shiny privileged combo of being white and royal.
Nonetheless, my sentiments don’t make Eleanor Roosevelt’s words any less true. If we don’t stand up for ourselves, then nothing will ever change for us and for the next generation, and what better way to stand up for ourselves than to make our voices heard through our right to suffrage.
But our power to vote as Asian-Americans isn’t just a matter of understanding what is at stake. This important subject matter also includes the necessary awareness of the background of the Asian-American diaspora and our fight for civil rights.
Asian-Americans have been in the U.S. for a long time. I’m sure you know or have heard about Chinese people who worked on the transcontinental railroad. Once the project was done and they were no longer needed for labor, they were barred from legally immigrating to the United States through the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. What you probably didn’t know is that Filipinos have settled in the United States around the same time through the Manila Galleon Trade. The first Filipino settlers arrived in what is now called the state of Louisiana and have built a fisherman's village there where we taught white people how to fish, how to separate shrimp heads from their bodies to make a better Cajun recipe, and most importantly, we have fought alongside them for their independence - an independence that never actually trickled down to us despite the generosity and solidarity our ancestors have shown them.
Fast forward to the 1930s/1940s and we’re still fighting for our rights. Filipino farmers paved the way for unionizing farmworkers in California – one of the iconic figures of this movement was Larry Itliong. He made sure that blue-collar workers, mainly people of color, were treated fairly and had living wages, up until his death in 1977.
Years later, we have another powerful Filipino fighting for our place in American society. Alice Peña Bulos dedicated most of her adult life advocating for Asian-American women’s rights in workplaces, and protecting elderly Asian-Americans from the rise of hate crimes against our community.
CUT TO: 2022, we’re still fighting. Despite the long journey to get here, it still feels like 1960 all over again.
“I can’t wait for an Alice Peña Bulos or a Larry Itliong to lead the fight. We have to collectively be angered at how they are taking away our right to vote.”
The Democrats in the US Congress right now are fighting for our voting rights because a minority is trying to take it away AGAIN. Now you see, I’m not touting the Democrats because I’m registered as one–God knows they have their fair share of flaws but at least, they know that if we continue to let others suppress our rights to vote then we’ll be starting back to where we were. I guess my main point is that as an Asian-American, I can’t wait for an Alice Peña Bulos or a Larry Itliong to lead the fight. We have to collectively be angered at how they are taking away our right to vote.
But then again, some of us don’t really care. It is absolutely right that the “model minority” is a myth that white people created to pit minorities against other minorities but sometimes we ourselves buy into that myth. Some of us neglect and oftentimes, turn a blind eye to oppression because the oppression is not directed at us. Thus, it becomes a fight between us and Black/Latinx and white people rather than it being all of us versus oppression.
I remember an argument I had on Twitter with a Filipino-American Trump voter. She claimed that in the United States, “politics has no color, race, or religion” (that’s verbatim) which to me sounded very ignorant because one thing that we should ALL know is that the United States laws are built on racism. I, being a self-righteous person boiling with rage, replied. I accused her of acting with “white privilege” not necessarily because she is white (I don’t know if she is. She could be part Caucasian for all I know) but because by being ignorant of the history of voter suppression based on “color, race and religion”, you are enabling the autocrat and that makes you a part of the systemic problem.
To me, as an immigrant without prior knowledge of U.S. History, the least we could do is research and actively learn so we do not add to the pain and suffering of Black and Brown folks. We must focus our energy in making sure we help make progress in every single community. Especially minority communities.
Why?
Because we owe it to the people who came before us and fought for our rights.
Because we owe it to the next generation - our children and grandchildren - to make sure that they are armed with the proper resources and opportunities to be whoever they want to be.
Because you are a goddamn human and you have every right to demand equity.
Because you are American and despite what hateful souls say, you deserve the same rights they have.
In retrospect, maybe Eleanor Roosevelt was talking about institutional racism when she said that famous quote, after all. Maybe she wasn’t just talking about that mean girl from school. Maybe she’s also talking about that group of people who are making it harder for you, your family, and friends to vote.
Go register and go vote. Midterm elections are coming up. I will see you there. Because through that one Asian-American vote, we are the Alice and Larry that we’ve been waiting for.
if you are eligible but are not yet registered to vote in your state, it’s super quick and easy. Just head to Vote.Org
