DIVERSITY, RESILIENCE, INCLUSIVITY: THE FILIPINO IDENTITY IN A FOREIGN LAND

Presented by Jeron Velasco

Filipinos are the third biggest Asian population in the United States according to Pew Research 2021. With the growing numbers of Filipino professionals and families settling in the state to work in the academic and medical field, Filipinos brought not only their skills and talent but also their culture, language, food and values to the communities they chose to serve. The presentation is about the coexistence and resilience of Filipino community and culture in the United States at the heart of one of the Native American reservations in New Mexico, the Zuni Pueblo. This study presents the perspective of Filipinos in a foreign land in respect of cultural preservation, generational changes and challenges and approaches for healthy sustainable coexistence. This centers on the stories of Filipino families’ persistence on discipline, culture, faith, family values, language and communal connections way back home and to the host community. The presentation will detail the cultural and social origins of Filipino beliefs, traditions and customs influenced by its colorful history touched by Austronesian, Chinese, Arab, Spanish, Japanese and American visitors. Coming from different 171 ethnic groups themselves, this presentation will provide a picture of intra-cultural dynamics among Filipino families in a distant land.