[Opinion] Take Part in the American Project (A Postscript to Black History Month)
/The violence that erupted at the Capitol on January 6 was shocking to those of us who thought such insurrection could not happen here. But it was not a one off, an isolated incident. As Reverend Warnock, the newly elected senator from Georgia, stated in his sermon following that incident: violence has always been there, simmering in the background.
Rioters stormed Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 to disrupt the electoral college certifications (Photo by John Cherry/Getty Images)
Many of us came to the United States, seeking a better life: stable jobs; economic opportunities to earn more money, not just for ourselves but also for our families back in the Philippines to whom we send money to help them survive. We aspire to the American Dream of owning a house, in a middle class neighborhood (hopefully, mostly white), with manicured lawns, good schools (also hopefully mostly white) two or three cars in the driveway, all the material things that we coveted when we were in the Philippines.
But our relationship to our new home remains mainly tactical, more expedient rather than rooted in the knowledge of this country’s complicated history, which could lead us to a commitment to actively participate in what is now termed the American Project.
As immigrants, we are subject to racism because of our skin color. In response, we are careful to toe the line, to fit in the model minority stereotype -- circumspect, hardworking, quiet and unassuming. But because of our colonial history, we tend to identify with white Americans, and hold the same racist attitudes against other minority communities and Black Americans (“they are lazy, we are better than them, they don't speak good English”).
The founding ideals of this country are liberty, equality, and justice for all. Yet, for close to 300 years, these ideals were not available to Black Americans. Even when the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War freed all slaves, Black Americans continued to suffer physical and economic subjugation. American democracy is deeply rooted in racist White American leadership.
We owe a debt to Black Americans for their past and continuing struggles against racism and injustice. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 opened the door not just for Black Americans but for all Americans. For instance, it prohibited racial discrimination in housing. So now Black families and communities of color including Filipino Americans, have access to all neighborhoods. (Years of economic discrimination has meant that most Black families do not have the accumulated wherewithal that many white Americans have and are priced out of the nicer neighborhoods.)
A Black Lives Matter protest (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Our children can now take advantage of the best of American education because of the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which stated that “separate is not equal, ” holding that separate schools for Black Americans violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. Desegregation of schools has resulted in better quality of education for all American children because more resources are allocated to all schools, not just to schools for white children.
We have to join the nationwide reckoning with racism, which is part of the dark history of our adopted country. Our nation has come far from the days of slavery: we now have a vice president who is Black and the daughter of immigrants. But a lot more work is needed to fulfill the promise of America’s founding ideals.
What is to be done? What can we do as a minority community? The recent election proved that every vote counts. Progressive candidates won by razor thin margins. We need to be engaged politically: vote; educate ourselves on the issues; support candidates that have progressive agendas. We have to decolonize culturally. Challenge racist attitudes in our families. For instance, referring to Blacks as “eggoy” is not acceptable.
Once we grapple honestly with this country's history, it becomes clear where we should stand. Our community and other communities of color have been beneficiaries of the struggles by Black Americans. We need to be part of the fight for equality and justice for all Americans, no matter your skin color. Achieving this would be the true American Dream.
Thelma King Estrada
Thelma King Estrada is an environmental lawyer in San Francisco.
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