Filipino-American Musical Groups
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Filipino Americans () are
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
at the end of the 19th century, when the Philippines was ceded from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. As of 2022, there were almost 4.5 million Filipino Americans in the United States with large communities in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, and the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...
. Around one third of Filipino Americans identify as
multiracial The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races (human categorization), races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicity, ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used ...
or multiethnic, with 3 million reporting only Filipino ancestry and 1.5 million reporting Filipino in combination with another group.


Terminology

The term ''Filipino American'' is sometimes shortened to ''Fil-Am'' or ''
Pinoy ''Pinoy'' ( or ) is a common informal self-reference used by Filipinos to refer to citizens of the Philippines and their culture as well as to overseas Filipinos in the Filipino diaspora. A Pinoy who has any non-Filipino foreign ancestry, ...
''. Another term which has been used is ''Philippine Americans''. The earliest appearance of the term ''Pinoy'' (feminine ''Pinay''), was in a 1926 issue of the ''Filipino Student Bulletin''. Some Filipinos believe that the term ''Pinoy'' was coined by Filipinos who came to the United States to distinguish themselves from Filipinos living in the Philippines. Beginning in 2017, started by individuals who identify with the LGBT+ Filipino-American population, there is an effort to adopt the term ''FilipinX''; this new term has faced opposition within the broader overseas Filipino diaspora, within the Philippines, and in the United States, with some who are in opposition believing it is an attempt of a "colonial imposition".


Background

Filipino sailors were the first
Asians "Asian people" (sometimes "Asiatic people")United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purposes. is an umbrella term ...
in North America. The first documented presence of Filipinos in what is now the United States dates back to October 1587 around
Morro Bay, California Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city's population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 ...
, with the first permanent settlement in
Saint Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. The walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...
,
Spanish Louisiana Louisiana (, ), was a province of New Spain from 1762 to 1801. It was primarily located in the center of North America encompassing the western basin of the Mississippi River plus New Orleans. The area had originally been claimed and controlle ...
, in 1763, the settlers there were called "Manilamen" and they served in the
Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...
during the closing stages of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, after the
Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...
had already been signed. There were then small settlements of Filipinos beginning in the 18th century, and Filipinos worked as cowboys and ranch hands in the 1800s. There was also a settlement in Plaquemines Parish, which became known as "Manila Village". This area was the center of the shrimp drying industry in Louisiana, and its workforce was composed predominantly of Filipino migrants. Mass migration began in the early 20th century when, for a period following the
1898 Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the Spanish–American Wa ...
, the Philippines was a
territory of the United States Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions and dependent territory, dependent territories overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indi ...
. By 1904, Filipino peoples of different ethnic backgrounds were imported by the U.S. government onto the Americas and were displayed at the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...
as part of a
human zoo Human zoos, also known as ethnological expositions, were a colonial practice of publicly displaying people, usually in a so-called "natural" or "primitive" state. They were most prominent during the 19th and 20th centuries. These displays of ...
. During the 1920s, many Filipinos immigrated to the United States as unskilled labor, to provide better opportunities for their families back at home. Philippine independence was recognized by the United States on July 4, 1946. After independence in 1946, Filipino-American numbers continued to grow. Immigration was reduced significantly during the 1930s, except for those who served in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, and increased following
immigration reform Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigratio ...
in the 1960s. The majority of Filipinos who immigrated after the passage of the
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act and more recently as the 1965 Immigration Act, was a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The ...
were skilled professionals and technicians. The 2010 census counted 3.4 million Filipino Americans; the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
in 2011 estimated the total at 4 million, or 1.1% of the U.S. population. They are the country's second-largest self-reported Asian ancestry group after
Chinese Americans Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...
according to 2010
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
. They are also the largest population of
Overseas Filipinos An overseas Filipino () is a person of full or partial Filipino origin who trace their ancestry back to the Philippines but are living and working outside of the country. This term generally applies to both people of Filipino ancestry and cit ...
. Significant populations of Filipino Americans can be found in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...
, and
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
.


Demographics

Some Filipinos have traditional Philippine surnames, such as Bacdayan or Macapagal, while others have surnames derived from
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
, Indian, and
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and reflect centuries of trade with these merchants preceding European and American rule. Reflecting its 333 years of Spanish rule, many Filipinos adopted Hispanic surnames, and celebrate '' fiestas''. Despite being from
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, Filipinos are sometimes called "
Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...
" due to their historical relationship to
Spanish colonialism The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...
; this view is not universally accepted. The Philippines experienced both Spanish and American colonial territorial status, with its population seen through each nation's racial constructs. This shared history may also contribute to why some Filipinos choose to also identify as Hispanic or Latino, while others may not and identify more as Asian Americans. In a 2017 Pew Research Survey, only 1% of immigrants from the Philippines identified as Hispanic.


Language

Filipino and English are
constitutionally A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...
established as official languages in the Philippines, and Filipino is designated as the national language, with English in wide use. Many Filipinos speak
Philippine English Philippine English is a variety of English native to the Philippines, including those used by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos and English learners in the Philippines from adjacent Asian countries. English is taught ...
, a dialect derived from
American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...
due to
American colonial American colonial architecture includes several building design styles associated with the colonial period of the United States, including First Period English (late-medieval), Spanish Colonial, French Colonial, Dutch Colonial, and Georgian. ...
influence in the country's
education system The educational system generally refers to the structure of all institutions and the opportunities for obtaining education within a country. It includes all pre-school institutions, starting from family education, and/or early childhood education ...
and due to limited
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
. Among Asian Americans in 1990, Filipino Americans had the smallest percentage of individuals who had problems with English. In 2000, among U.S.-born Filipino Americans, three quarters responded that English is their primary language; nearly half of Filipino Americans speak English exclusively. In 2003,
Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...
was the fifth-most-spoken language in the United States, with 1.262 million speakers; by 2011, it was the fourth most-spoken language in the United States. Tagalog usage is significant in California, Nevada, and Washington, while Ilocano usage is significant in Hawaii. Many of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
's public announcements and documents are translated into Tagalog. Tagalog is also taught in some public schools in the United States, as well as at some colleges. Other significant Filipino languages are Ilocano and Cebuano. Other languages spoken in Filipino-American households include
Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...
,
Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people, of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...
, Hiligaynon, Bicolano and Waray. However, fluency in
Philippine languages The Philippine languages or Philippinic are a proposed group by R. David Paul Zorc (1986) and Robert Blust (1991; 2005; 2019) that include all the languages of the Philippines and northern Sulawesi, Indonesia—except Sama–Bajaw (language ...
tends to be lost among second- and third-generation Filipino Americans. Other languages of the community include
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
and
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
(
Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...
and
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
). The demonym, ''Filipinx'', is a gender-neutral term that is applied only to those of Filipino heritage in the diaspora, specifically Filipino Americans. The term is not applied to Filipinos in the Philippines.


Religion

The Philippines is 90% Christian, one of only two predominantly Christian countries in Southeast Asia, alongside
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
. Following the European arrival to the Philippines by
Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fl ...
, Spaniards made a concerted effort to convert Filipinos to
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
; outside of the Muslim sultanates and animist societies,
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
were able to convert large numbers of Filipinos. and the majority are Roman Catholic, giving Catholicism a major impact on Filipino culture. Other Christian denominations include
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
(
Aglipayan The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...
,
Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...
, and others), and
nontrinitarians Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the orthodox Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence ( ...
(
Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...
and
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
). Additionally there are those Filipinos who are
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
,
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
or nonreligious; religion has served as a dividing factor within the Philippines and Filipino-American communities. During the early part of the United States governance in the Philippines, there was a concerted effort to convert Filipinos into Protestants, and the results came with varying success. As Filipinos began to migrate to the United States, Filipino Roman Catholics were often not embraced by their
American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...
brethren, nor were they sympathetic to a Filipino-ized Catholicism, in the early 20th century. This led to creation of ethnic-specific parishes; one such parish was St. Columban's Church in Los Angeles. In 1997, the Filipino oratory was dedicated at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington D.C. It is the largest Catholic church building in North America and is also the tallest habitable building in Wa ...
, owing to increased diversity within the congregations of American Catholic parishes. The first-ever American Church for Filipinos, San Lorenzo Ruiz Church in New York City, is named after the first saint from the Philippines, San Lorenzo Ruiz. This was officially designated as a church for Filipinos in July 2005, the first in the United States, and the second in the world, after a church in Rome. In 2010, Filipino American Catholics were the largest population of Asian American Catholics, making up more than three fourths of Asian American Catholics. In 2015, a majority (65%) of Filipino Americans identify as Catholic; this is down slightly from 2004 (68%). Filipino Americans, who are first-generation immigrants were more likely to attend mass weekly, and tended to be more
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
, than those who were born in the United States. Culturally, some traditions and beliefs rooted from the original indigenous religions of Filipinos are still known among the Filipino diaspora.


Politics

Filipino Americans have traditionally been socially conservative, particularly with "second wave" immigrants; the first Filipino American elected to office was Peter Aduja. In the
2004 U.S. Presidential Election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican President George W. Bush and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Dick Cheney, were re-elected to a second term. They narrowly defeated ...
Republican president
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
won the Filipino-American vote over
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
by nearly a two-to-one ratio, which followed strong support in the 2000 election. However, during the
2008 U.S. Presidential Election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John Mc ...
, Filipino Americans voted majority Democratic, with 50% to 58% of the community voting for President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and 42% to 46% voting for Senator
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
. The 2008 election marked the first time that a majority of Filipino Americans voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. According to the 2012 National Asian American Survey, conducted in September 2012, 45% of Filipinos were
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
or
nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...
, 27% were Republican, and 24% were Democrats. Additionally, Filipino Americans had the largest proportions of Republicans among Asian Americans polled, a position normally held by
Vietnamese Americans Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese people, Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth ...
, leading up to the 2012 election, and had the lowest job approval opinion of Obama among Asian Americans. In a survey of Asian Americans from thirty-seven cities conducted by the
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) is a New York-based national organization founded in 1974 that seeks to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organi ...
, it found that of the Filipino-American respondents, 65% voted for Obama. According to an exit poll conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, it found that 71% of responding Filipino Americans voted for
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
during the 2016 general election. In a survey conducted by the advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice in September 2020, of the 263 Filipino American respondents, 46% identified as Democrats, 28% identified as Republicans, and 16% as independent. According to interviews conducted by academic Anthony Ocampo, Filipino American supporters of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
cited their support for the former President based on support for building a border wall, tax cuts to businesses, legal immigration,
school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to traditional public schools. School choice options include scholarship tax credit programs, open enrollment laws (which allow students to att ...
, opposition to abortion, opposition to affirmative action, antagonism towards the People's Republic of China, and viewing Trump as a non-racist. There was an age divide among Filipino Americans, with older Filipino Americans more likely to support Trump or be Republicans, and younger Filipino Americans more likely to support Biden or be Democrats. In the 2020 presidential election, Philippines Ambassador
Jose Manuel Romualdez Jose Manuel "Babe" del Gallego Romualdez (born November 8, 1947) is a Filipino journalist, publisher and business executive who is the current Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States. He previously served as Special Envoy of Presid ...
alleged that 60% of Filipino Americans reportedly voted for
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
. Filipino Americans were among those who were at the
2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
. The news site Rappler reported the next day that Filipino-American media has heavily repeated
QAnon QAnon ( ) is a far-right conspiracy theories in United States politics, American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals kno ...
conspiracies. Rappler further reported that many Filipino Americans who voted for Trump and adhere to QAnon cite similar political opinions in the Philippines regarding Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
and
anti-Chinese sentiment Anti-Chinese sentiment (also referred to as Sinophobia) is the fear or dislike of Chinese people or Chinese culture. It is frequently directed at Overseas Chinese, Chinese minorities which live outside Greater China and it involves immigratio ...
since China has been building artificial reefs in the South China Sea near the Philippines in the 2010s, and have recently seen the Republican Party as more hardline against the Chinese government's actions. Filipino Americans have also been more receptive to
gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, as well as ...
compared to other Asian-American ethnic groups. This is in part due to the lax gun laws in the Philippines. In the 2024 election, most Filipino Americans have responded to a survey indicating 59% of them found Vice President
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
more favorably, while 29% found former President Donald Trump favorable. Due to scattered living patterns, it is nearly impossible for Filipino American candidates to win an election solely based on the Filipino-American vote. Filipino-American politicians have increased their visibility over the past few decades.
Ben Cayetano Benjamin Jerome Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) is an American politician and author who served as the fifth governor of the State of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. He is the first Filipino American to serve as a state governor in the United Stat ...
(Democrat), former governor of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, became the first governor of Filipino descent in the United States. The number of Congressional members of Filipino descent doubled to numbers not reached since 1937,
two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and the only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many ...
when the
Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
were represented by non-voting Resident Commissioners, due to the 2000 senatorial election. In 2009 three Congress-members claimed at least one-eighth Filipino ethnicity; the largest number to date. Since the resignation of Senator
John Ensign John Eric Ensign (born March 25, 1958) is an American veterinarian and former politician who served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 2001 until his resignation in 2011 amid a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into his attempts to ...
in 2011 (the only Filipino American to have been a member of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
), and Representative Steve Austria (the only
Asian Pacific American Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian ...
Republican in the
112th Congress The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...
) choosing not to seek reelection and retire, Representative Robert C. Scott was the only Filipino American in the
113th Congress The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...
. In the
116th United States Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate, Senate and the United States House of Representati ...
, Scott was joined by Rep.
TJ Cox Terrance John Cox (born July 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 21st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. The son of Chinese American and Filipino American parents, Cox was elected to t ...
, bringing the number of Filipino Americans in Congress to two. In the
117th United States Congress The 117th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January ...
, Scott once again became the sole Filipino-American Representative after Cox was defeated in a rematch against
David Valadao David Goncalves Valadao ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American politician and dairy farmer serving as the U.S. representative for California's 22nd congressional district since 2023. His district comprises part of the San Joaquin Valley. A m ...
. Most Filipino-American registered voters identify with or lean to the Democratic Party. About two-thirds of Filipino-American voters (68%) are Democrats or lean Democratic, while 31% are Republicans or lean Republican.


Socioeconomic demographics


Economics

Filipino Americans are largely middle class with 62% of households being middle incom

However, only 21% of Filipino-American households are Upper Income compared to 27% for all Asian households. They are less likely to be Upper Income than all Asians. Filipino Americans have high labor force participation rates and 67% of Filipino Americans are employed. Filipino Americans are more likely to live in larger, overcrowded (8.7% of Filipino housing units compared to 3.5% of total population), multi-generational (34%) households compared to the general population. The average household size for Filipino Americans in 2023 was 2.99 compared to 2.49 for the general population. The impressive annual median household income and low poverty rates must be approached with caution, for median household income represents the combined earnings of several family or household members often living in crowded and less than adequate houses. While the median household income for Filipino alone was high, per capita income for Filipino Americans was $47,819 which was significantly lower than for all Asians ($55,561) and Non-Hispanic Whites ($50,675). Individual earnings for both Filipino males and females were significantly lower than all Asians, suggesting multiple earners in a household. Filipino-American full-time, year-round workers were paid lower than the U.S. average and had a lower average hourly wage of $29.35 than the U.S. average of $29.95 and AAPI average of $30.73 Only 39% of Filipino American men (ages 25–34) had attained a Bachelor’s degree, in comparison to 87% of Asian Indian American men, 69% of Chinese American men, 63% of Japanese American men, 62% of Korean American men, and 42 percent of Vietnamese American men. The same study showed that Filipino, Korean and Cambodian men with Bachelor's degrees have lower median wages of $30 an hour compared to Chinese and Indian immigrant men who had median wages of $40 an hour Filipino American households in Los Angeles had a net worth of $243,000 with $5,000 in debts compared to a net worth of $355,000 for White households, $595,000 for Japanese households, $408,500 for Chinese households and $460,000 for Indian American households. Filipino Americans had a significantly higher rate of
food insecurity Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...
(11%) than all Asians and White Americans (6%). Filipino Americans had a lower poverty rate (7%) than the total population, this correlates with the Filipino-American unemployment rate being only 3% and a high labor force participation rate of 67%. There is a trend of second-generation Filipino Americans moving back to the Philippines, finding the
American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...
more and more unattainable. They cite lower cost of living as the main reasons they would move back to the Philippines. There is also a trend of Filipino Americans relocating from Hawaii and California to Nevada due to rising cost of living and housing prices.


Per capita income

Average hourly wages for full-time, year-round workers in 2019


Industry and jobs

The representation of Filipino Americans employed in
health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
is high. Other sectors of the economy where Filipino Americans have significant representation are in the
public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...
, and in the
service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
. Compared to Asian-American women of other ethnicities, and
women in the United States The legal status of women in the United States is, in comparison to other countries, equal to that of men, and women are generally viewed as having equal social standing as well. In the early history of the U.S., women were largely relegated to ...
in general, Filipina Americans are more likely to be part of the work force; a large population, nearly one fifth (18%), of Filipina Americans worked as registered nurses.
Alt URL
/ref> There is also a large number of Filipino domestic workers and care-givers in the U.S. More than 60% of Filipino Americans work in more than 60% work in low-wage and/or service-sector wor

Filipino Americans own a variety of businesses, making up 10.5% of all Asian owned businesses in the United States in 2007. In 2002, according to the United States Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, there were over 125,000 Filipino-owned businesses; this increased by 30.4% to over 163,000 in 2007. By then, 25.4% of these businesses were in the retail industry, 23% were in the
health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
and social assistance industries, and they employed more than 142,000 people and generated almost $15.8 billion in revenue. Of those, just under three thousand (1.8% of all Filipino-owned businesses) were million dollar or more businesses. This means Filipino-owned businesses are significantly less likely to be million dollar or more than all Asians (5%). California had the largest number of Filipino-owned businesses, with the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA, Los Angeles metropolitan area having the largest number of any metropolitan area in the United States. The Philippines is the largest exporters of Nurses and this is something that can be traced back to U.S. colonialism. America has been relying on Filipino nurses on the frontlines since the AIDs pandemic. Despite making up only 4% of Registered Nurses in the U.S., the make up nearly a third of Covid-related deaths among registered nurses. American schools have also hired and sponsored the immigration of Filipino teachers and instructors. Some of these teachers were forced into labor outside the field of education, and mistreated by their recruiters. Among Overseas Filipino, Overseas Filipinos, Filipino Americans are the largest remitters of U.S. dollars to the Philippines. In 2005, their combined dollar Remittance, remittances reached a record-high of almost $6.5 billion. In 2006, Filipino Americans sent more than $8 billion, which represents 57% of the total foreign remittances received by the Philippines. By 2012, this amount had reached $10.6 billion, but made up only 43% of total remittances. In 2021, the United States was the largest source of remittances to the Philippines, making up 40.5% of the $31.4 billion remittances received by the Philippines.


Culture

The history of Spanish East Indies, Spanish and Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures in the Philippines. Filipino-American cultural identity has been described as fluid, adopting aspects from various cultures; that said, there has not been significant research into the culture of Filipino Americans. Filipino-American Fashion, Fashion, dance, Filipino-American music, music, Filipino American theater, theater and arts have all had roles in building Filipino-American cultural identities and communities. In areas of sparse Filipino population, they often form loosely-knit social organizations aimed at maintaining a "sense of family", which is a key feature of Filipino culture. These organizations generally arrange social events, especially of a charitable nature, and keep members up-to-date with local events. Organizations are often organized into regional associations. The associations are a small part of Filipino-American life. Filipino Americans formed close-knit neighborhoods, notably in California and Hawaii. A few communities have "Little Manilas", civic and business districts tailored for the Filipino-American community. In a Filipino party, shoes should be left in the front of the house and greet everyone with a hi or hello. When greeting older relatives, ''po'' and ''opo'' must be said in every sentence to show respect. Due to History of the Philippines, history, the Philippines and the United States are connected Culture of the Philippines, culturally. In 2016, there was $16.5 billion worth of trade between the two countries, with the United States being the largest foreign investor in the Philippines, and more than 40% of remittances came from (or through) the United States. In 2004, the amount of remittances coming from the United States was $5 billion; this is an increase from the $1.16 billion sent in 1991 (then about 80% of total remittances being sent to the Philippines), and the $324 million sent in 1988. Some Filipino Americans have chosen to retire in the Philippines, buying real estate. Filipino Americans, continue to travel back and forth between the United States and the Philippines, making up more than a tenth of all foreign travelers to the Philippines in 2010; when traveling back to the Philippines they often bring cargo boxes known as a balikbayan box.


Cuisine

The number of Filipino restaurants does not reflect the size of the population. Due to the restaurant business not being a major source of income for the community, few non-Filipinos are familiar with the cuisine. Although American cuisine influenced Filipino cuisine, it has been criticized by non-Filipinos. Even on Oahu where there is a significant Filipino-American population, Filipino cuisine is not as noticeable as other Asian cuisines. One study found that Filipino cuisine was not often listed in food frequency questionnaires. On television, Filipino cuisine has been criticized, such as on ''Fear Factor'', and praised, such as on ''Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'', and ''Bizarre Foods America''. While "new" Filipino restaurants and fusion-type places have been opening up, traditionally, "native cuisine proved itself strong and resistant to 'fraternization' with foreign invaders. The original dishes have retained their ingredients, cooking methods, and spirit." Filipino cuisine is much like its culture, a blend of many influences through the years of colonization. Popular Filipino dishes such as ''pancit'' has Hokkien roots, ''adobo'' from Spain and Mexico, and the use of ''bagoong'' and ''patis'', fermented sauces that stem from Malay origins. Filipino-American chefs cook in many fine dining restaurants, including Cristeta Comerford who is the executive chef in the White House, though many do not serve Filipino cuisine in their restaurants. Reasons given for the lack of Filipino cuisine in the U.S. include colonial mentality, lack of a clear identity, a preference for cooking at home, a continuing preference of Filipino Americans for cuisines other than their own, and the nebulous nature of Filipino cuisine itself due to its historical influences.


Filipino cuisine remains prevalent among Filipino immigrants, with restaurants and grocery stores catering to the Filipino-American community, including Jollibee Foods Corporation, Jollibee, a Philippines-based fast-food chain restaurant, chain. In the 2010s, successful and critically reviewed Filipino-American restaurants were featured in ''The New York Times''. That same decade began a Filipino Food movement in the United States; it has been criticized for gentrification of the cuisine. ''Bon Appetit'' named Bad Saint in Washington, D.C. "the second best new restaurant in the United States" in 2016. ''Food & Wine Magazine, Food & Wine'' named Lasa, in Los Angeles, one of its restaurants of the year in 2018. With this emergence of Filipino-American restaurants, food critics like Andrew Zimmern have predicted that Filipino food will be "the next big thing" in American cuisine. Yet in 2017, ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' described the cuisine as "misunderstood and neglected"; ''SF Weekly'' in 2019, later described the cuisine as "marginal, underappreciated, and prone to weird booms-and-busts".


Family

Filipino Americans undergo experiences that are unique to their own identities. These experiences derive from both the Filipino culture and American cultures individually and the dueling of these identities as well. These stressors, if great enough, can lead Filipino Americans into suicidal behaviors. Members of the Filipino community learn early on about ''kapwa'', which is defined as "interpersonal connectedness or togetherness". With ''kapwa'', many Filipino Americans have a strong sense of needing to repay their family members for the opportunities that they have been able to receive. An example of this is a new college graduate feeling the need to find a job that will allow them to financially support their family and themselves. This notion comes from ''"utang na loob"'', defined as a debt that must be repaid to those who have supported the individual. With ''kapwa'' and ''utang na loob'' as strong forces enacting on the individual, there is an "all or nothing" mentality that is being played out. In order to bring success back to one's family, there is a desire to succeed for one's family through living out a family's wants as opposed to one's own true desires. This can manifest as one entering a career path that they are not passionate in, but select in order to help support their family. Despite many of the stressors for these students deriving from family, it also becomes apparent that these are the reasons that these students are resilient. When family conflict rises in Filipino-American families, there is a negative association with suicide attempts. This suggests that though family is a presenting stressor in a Filipino American's life, it also plays a role for their resilience. In a study conducted by Yusuke Kuroki, family connectedness, whether defined as positive or negative to each individual, served as one means of lowering suicide attempts.


Media

Beginning in the late 1800s, Filipino Americans began publishing books in the United States. The growth of publications for the Mass media in the Philippines, masses in the Philippines accelerated during the American period. Ethnic media serving Filipino Americans dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1905, pensionados at University of California, Berkeley published ''The Filipino Students' Magazine''. One of the earliest Filipino-American newspapers published in the United States, was the ''Philippine Independent'' of Salinas, California, which began publishing in 1921. Newspapers from the Philippines, to include ''The Manila Times'', also served the Filipino diaspora in the United States. In 1961, the ''Philippine News'' was started by Alex Esclamado, which by the 1980s had a national reach and at the time was the largest English-language Filipino newspaper. While many areas with Filipino Americans have local Filipino newspapers, one of the largest concentrations of these newspapers occur in Southern California. Beginning in 1992, Filipinas (magazine), ''Filipinas'' began publication, and was unique in that it focused on American-born Filipino Americans of the second and third generations. ''Filipinas'' ended its run in 2010, however it was succeeded by ''Positively Filipino'' in 2012 which included some of the staff from ''Filipinas''. The Filipino diaspora in the United States are able to watch programming from the Philippines on television through GMA Pinoy TV and The Filipino Channel.


Sports


Community issues


Immigration

The Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003 (List of Philippine laws, Republic Act No. 9225) made Filipino Americans eligible for dual citizenship in the United States and the Philippines. Overseas suffrage was first employed in the May 2004 elections in which Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was reelected to a second term. By 2005, about 6,000 Filipino Americans had become dual citizens of the two countries. One effect of this act was to allow Filipino Americans to invest in the Philippines through land purchases, which are limited to Filipino citizens, and, with some limitations, former citizens.), vote in Philippine elections, retire in the Philippines, and participate in representing the Philippine flag. In 2013, for the 2013 Philippine general election, Philippine general election there were 125,604 registered Filipino voters in the United States and Caribbean, of which only 13,976 voted. Dual citizens have been recruited to participate in international sports events including athletes Philippines at the Olympics, representing the Philippines who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. The Philippine government actively encourages Filipino Americans to visit or return permanently to the Philippines via the "Overseas Filipinos, Balikbayan" program and to invest in the country. Filipinos remain one of the largest immigrant groups to date with over 40,000 arriving annually since 1979. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a preference system for issuing visa (document), visas to non-citizen family members of U.S. citizens, with preference based generally on familial closeness. Some non-citizen relatives of U.S. citizens spend long periods on waiting lists. Petitions for immigrant visas, particularly for siblings of previously naturalized Filipinos that date back to 1984, were not granted until 2006. , over 380 thousand Filipinos were on the visa wait list, second only to Mexican people, Mexico and ahead of Indian people, India, Vietnamese people, Vietnam and Chinese people, China. Filipinos have the longest waiting times for family reunification visas, as Filipinos disproportionately apply for family visas; this has led to visa petitions filed in July 1989 still waiting to be processed in March 2013.


Illegal immigration

It has been documented that Filipinos were among those naturalized due to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. In 2009, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security estimated that 270,000 Filipino were "unauthorized immigrants". This was an increase of 70,000 from a previous estimate in 2000. In both years, Filipinos accounted for 2% of the total. , Filipinos were the fifth-largest community of illegal immigrants behind Mexico (6.65 million, 62%), El Salvador (530,000, 5%), Guatemala (480,000, 4%), and Honduras (320,000, 3%). In January 2011, the Department of Homeland Security estimate of "unauthorized immigrants" from the Philippines remained at 270,000. By 2017, the number of Filipinos who were in the United States illegally increased to 310,000. Filipinos who reside in the United States illegally are known within the Filipino community as "TnT's" (''tago nang tago'' 'hide and hide').


Health

Filipino Americans experience significant health disparities and are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, high blood preasure and other issues. Filipino Americans also experience food insecurity at a significantly higher rate then other Asian-American groups. In Hawaii the rate of low food security and very low food security for Filipino people were 11.7% and 22.3%.


Identity

Filipino Americans may be mistaken for members of other racial/ethnic groups, such as Latino Americans, Latinos or Pacific Islander Americans, Pacific Islanders; this may lead to "mistaken" discrimination that is not Racism in the United States#Discrimination and racism against Asian Americans, specific to Asian Americans. Filipino Americans, additionally, have had difficulty being categorized, termed by one source as being in "perpetual absence". In the History of the Philippines (1898–1946), period, prior to 1946, Filipinos were Education in the Philippines during American rule, taught that they were American, and presented with an idealized America. They had official status as United States nationals. When ill-treated and discriminated by other Americans, Filipinos were faced with the Racism and ethnic discrimination in the United States, racism of that period, which undermined these ideals. Carlos Bulosan later wrote about this experience in ''America is in the Heart''. Even ''pensionados'', who immigrated on government scholarships, were treated poorly. In Hawaii, Filipino Americans often have little identification with their heritage, and it has been documented that many disclaim their ethnicity. This may be due to the "Colonial mentality#Philippines, colonial mentality", or the idea that Western ideals and physical characteristics are superior to their own. Although categorized as Asian Americans, Filipino Americans have not fully embraced being part of this racial category due to marginalization by other Asian-American groups and or the dominant American society. This created a struggle within Filipino American communities over how far to assimilate. The term "white-washed" has been applied to those seeking to further assimilate. Those who disclaim their ethnicity lose the positive adjustment to outcomes that are found in those who have a strong, positive, ethnic identity.
Of the ten largest immigrant groups, Filipino Americans have the highest rate of Cultural assimilation, assimilation, with the exception of Philippine cuisine, cuisine. Filipino Americans have been described as the most "Americanized" of the Asian-American ethnicities. However, even though Filipino Americans are the second-largest group among Asian Americans, community activists have described the ethnicity as "invisible", claiming that the group is virtually unknown to the American public, and is often not seen as significant even among its members. Another term for this status is ''forgotten minority''. This description has also been used in the political arena, given the lack of political mobilization. In the mid-1990s it was estimated that some one hundred Filipino Americans have been elected or appointed to public office. This lack of political representation contributes to the perception that Filipino Americans are invisible. The concept is also used to describe how the ethnicity has assimilated. Few affirmative action programs target the group although affirmative action programs rarely target Asian Americans in general. Assimilation was easier given that the group is majority religiously Christian, fluent in English, and have high levels of education. The concept was in greater use in the past, before the post-1965 wave of arrivals. The term ''invisible minority'' has been used for Asian Americans as a whole, and the term "Model minority#Asian Americans, model minority" has been applied to Filipinos as well as other Asian-American groups. Filipino critics allege that Filipino Americans are ignored in immigration literature and studies. As with fellow Asian Americans, Filipino Americans are viewed as "perpetual foreigners", even for those born in the United States. This has resulted in physical attacks on Filipino Americans, as well as non-violent forms of discrimination. In college and high school campuses, many Filipino-American student organizations put on annual Pilipino Culture Nights to showcase dances, perform skits, and comment on issues such as identity and lack of cultural awareness due to assimilation and colonization. Filipino American LGBT Studies, Filipino-American gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual identities are often shaped by immigration status, generation, religion, and racial formation.


Suicide ideation and depression

Mental health is a topic that is seldom spoken about among the Filipino-American community because of the stigma that is attached to it. In the documentary "Silent Sacrifices: Voices of the Filipino American Family" Patricia Heras points out that a lack of communication between first-generation and second-generation Filipino-American immigrants can lead to family members not understanding the personal hardships that each one goes through. Some of the main topics of discussion in this documentary are depression and Suicidal ideation, suicide ideation experienced by the second-generation youth. These topics are supported by a study that was conducted in 1997 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that revealed that 45.6% of Filipina American teenage students in San Diego public schools had seriously thought about committing suicide. Half of those students had actually attempted suicide. Although depression cannot be said to cause suicide, the high scores of depression and low self-esteem show a relation to the high scores of suicidal thoughts among Filipinos. Depression in Filipinos can sometimes be difficult to notice without digging deeper into their feelings. Filipinos can display their depression in many ways such as showing extreme suffering or smiling even when it may not seem authentic. Some of the common causes of depression include: financial worries, family separation during the immigration process, and cultural conflict. One of these cultural conflicts is the belief that one must base decisions on what will "save face" for the family. A study was published in 2018 by Janet Chang and Frank Samson about Filipino American youth and their non-Filipino friends. They had found that Filipino American youth with three or more close non-Filipino friends were more likely to experience depression and anxiety more so than Filipino American youth with two or less non-Filipino friends that they considered to be close. Although having friends of diverse backgrounds gave these Filipinos a sense of inclusion among their peers, they also gained a heightened awareness of discrimination.


Veterans

During World War II, some 250,000 to 400,000 Filipinos served in the United States Military, in units including the Philippine Scouts, Military History of the Philippines During World War II#The Army Philippine Commonwealth, Philippine Commonwealth Army under USAFFE, U.S. Command, and recognized Japanese occupation of the Philippines#Resistance, guerrillas during the Japanese Occupation. In January 2013, ten thousand surviving Filipino-American veterans of World War II lived in the United States, and a further fourteen thousand in the Philippines, although some estimates found eighteen thousand or fewer surviving veterans. The U.S. government promised these soldiers all of the benefits afforded to other veterans. However, in 1946, the United States Congress passed the Rescission Act of 1946 which stripped Filipino veteranos, veterans of the promised benefits. One estimate claims that monies due to these veterans for back pay and other benefits exceeds one billion dollars. Of the sixty-six countries allied with the United States during the war, the Philippines is the only country that did not receive military benefits from the United States.Alt URL
The phrase "Second Class Veterans" has been used to describe their status. Many Filipino veterans traveled to the United States to lobby Congress for these benefits. Since 1993, numerous bills have been introduced in Congress to pay the benefits, but all died in committee. As recently as 2018, these bills have received bipartisan support. Representative Colleen Hanabusa, Hanabusa submitted legislation to award Filipino Veterans with a Congressional Gold Medal. Known as the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, it was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, Committee on Financial Services and the United States House Committee on House Administration, Committee on House Administration. As of February 2012 had attracted 41 cosponsors. In January 2017, the medal was approved. There was a proposed lawsuit to be filed in 2011 by The Justice for Filipino American Veterans against the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs. In the late 1980s, efforts towards reinstating benefits first succeeded with the incorporation of Filipino veteran naturalization in the Immigration Act of 1990. Over 30,000 such veterans had immigrated, with mostly American citizens, receiving benefits relating to their service. Similar language to those bills was inserted by the Senate into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which provided a one time payment of at least 9,000 United States dollar, USD to eligible non-US Citizens and US$15,000 to eligible US Citizens via the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund. These payments went to those recognized as soldiers or guerrillas or their spouses. The list of eligibles is smaller than the list recognized by the Philippines. Additionally, recipients had to waive all rights to possible future benefits. As of March 2011, 42 percent (24,385) of claims had been rejected; By 2017, more than 22,000 people received about $226 million in one time payments. In the 113th Congress, Representative Joe Heck reintroduced his legislation to allow documents from the Philippine government and the U.S. Army to be accepted as proof of eligibility. Known as H.R. 481, it was referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Committee on Veterans' Affairs. In 2013, the U.S. released a previously classified report detailing guerrilla activities, including guerrilla units not on the "Missouri list". In September 2012, the Social Security Administration announced that non-resident Filipino World War II veterans were eligible for certain social security benefits; however an eligible veteran would lose those benefits if they visited for more than one month in a year, or immigrated. Beginning in 2008, a bipartisan effort started by Mike Thompson (California politician), Mike Thompson and Tom Udall an effort began to recognize the contributions of Military history of Asian Americans#World War II, Filipinos during World War 2; by the time Barack Obama signed the effort into law in 2016, a mere fifteen thousand of those veterans were estimated to be alive. Of those living Filipino veterans of World War II, there were an estimated 6,000 living in the United States. Finally in October 2017, the recognition occurred with the awarding of a Congressional Gold Medal. When the medal was presented by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, several surviving veterans were at the ceremony. The medal now resides in the National Museum of American History.


Holidays

Congress established Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May to commemorate Filipino American and other Asian American cultures. Upon becoming the largest Asian American group in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, October was established as Filipino American History Month to acknowledge the first landing of Filipinos on October 18, 1587 in Morro Bay, California. It is widely celebrated by Filipino Americans.


Notable people


Footnotes


References


Further reading

* * * * * Melendy, H. Brett. "Filipino Americans". ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp. 119–135
online
* * Posades, Barbara M. ''The Filipino Americans'' (1999
excerpt
* * ;Archive
Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union, Local 7 Records
, 1915–1985; Predominantly 1933–1982. 46.31 cubic feet. At th
Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
.
Carlos Bulosan Papers, 1914–1976.
4.65 cubic feet, 17 microfilm reels. At th
Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
.
Chris D. Mensalvas Papers, 1935–1974.
.25 cubic feet, 1 sound cassette. At th
Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
.
Chris D. Mensalvas Photograph Collection, 1937–1956.
1 folder of photographic prints. At th
Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
.
Trinidad Rojo Papers, 1923–1991.
2.81 cubic feet. At th
Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections
. *


External links

* * * * * * * {{Portal bar, United States, Philippines, Society Asian diaspora in the United States Filipino diaspora in the United States, Filipino diaspora by country, American Filipino diaspora in North America, American Southeast Asian diaspora in the United States