My Family's Slave
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"My Family's Slave" is a
non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
,
biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...
essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
by the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning journalist
Alex Tizon Tomas Alexander Asuncion Tizon (October 30, 1959 – March 23, 2017) was a Filipino-American author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. His book ''Big Little Man'', a memoir and cultural history, explores themes related to race, masculinity ...
. It was the cover story of the June 2017 issue of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
''. It was Tizon's final published story and was printed after his death in March 2017. He died on the day that ''The Atlantic''s editorial staff decided the article would be featured on the magazine's front cover, before they could tell him of their decision."Alex Tizon's posthumous ''Atlantic'' cover story is about his family's secret slave"
by Eder Campuzano, at ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...
''; published May 16, 2017; retrieved May 16, 2017
The story
went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...
on the Internet and generated extensive debate, receiving both praise and criticism.


Background

The work recounts the life story of a Filipino woman, Eudocia Tomas Pulido, known in the family as "Lola" (''grandmother'' in
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 ...
),lola
in Tagalog Dictionary.
who lived with the author's family for 64 years, for most of that time essentially as a
slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
, and who helped raise three generations of the author's family. Pulido was a distant relation of the Tizon family, from a poorer branch of the clan. In the 1940s, she was tricked into servitude by the author's grandfather, a military officer during the Commonwealth Era, and then at the age of 18 was "given" to the author's then 12-year-old mother as a personal slave. Pulido came to the United States in 1964 on a special passport linked to the author's father, who was a diplomat. However, her travel papers expired in 1969, and she was ineligible for the permanent-resident status that the author's family received, making her an
illegal immigrant Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
in the U.S for the next two decades. She eventually received amnesty as a result of the
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA or the Simpson–Mazzoli Act) was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The Immigration Reform and Control Act legalized ...
, and she became a U.S. citizen in October 1998. The Tizon family went through a tumultuous and indigent time as they moved from the Philippines to Los Angeles, to Seattle, and multiple other locations before settling in Oregon. The author's father quit his consular post, became a gambler and womanizer, and eventually abandoned the family. His mother worked long hours while studying medicine and eventually remarried. Pulido suffered continuous abuse and neglect from the author's parents, besides receiving no salary or remuneration for her services. Nonetheless, Pulido steadfastly carried out her matriarchal duties, essentially serving as a surrogate mother to the Tizon children. Eventually, the author and his siblings stood up for Pulido to their mother, though Pulido remained in servitude. After his mother's death, Alex Tizon brought Pulido, then aged 75, to live in his home with his family. Pulido was given a salary and encouraged to stop acting as a constant servant. Tizon paid for her to visit her home village in the Philippines when she was 83, after which she chose to return to the United States. Pulido died on November 7, 2011, at the age of 86, and Tizon later repatriated her ashes to her birthplace of
Mayantoc, Tarlac Mayantoc, officially the Municipality of Mayantoc (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,597 people. The town got its name after a palm called 'yantoc' due to its ...
.


Reception

"My Family's Slave"
went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...
and sparked significant debate in both the United States and the Philippines after being published in ''The Atlantic''. ''The Atlantic'' acknowledged these mixed reactions to the story with the article "Your Responses to ‘My Family’s Slave’" by assistant editor Rosa Inocencio Smith. Filipinos generally praised Tizon, while many Western commentators criticized him. The article was lauded as "an honest, haunting tale" by the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', but it also received criticism. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' noted that the article "drew wide praise, with readers commending Tizon's honesty, and some saying it was among the most powerful magazine pieces published in recent memory. But it also spurred intense criticism from some readers who felt it humanized a slave owner and others who described Tizon as being 'complicit in the systemic oppression of Filipino househelp'." The Filipino magazine ''
Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
'' argued that "a lot of the international outrage is coming from a place where they don't fully understand the culture the story is set in". The American magazine ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'' also noted the "wide-sweeping judgment coming from people who have no context nor familiarity with Filipino culture, history, or economics".Galang, M. Evelina (May 21, 2017)
What the Conversation Around Alex Tizon's Atlantic Essay Is Missing
''Slate''.
''Slate'' further wrote that, as the Philippines is a
developing country A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...
, "the wide disparity between those with and without money makes the culture of servitude a viable option for many born into poverty, especially in the provinces". ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' wrote that many Filipinos expressed that "while they don't condone indentured servitude, Pulido's life was a much too common scenario ingrained in Filipino culture and one that must be confronted and openly discussed." Author Randy Ribay questioned the moral high ground of those who criticized Tizon through mobile devices that were built with the use of
child labor Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...
, and he added that "asking why
izon Izon may refer to: People * Charles Izon (1872–1897), English football player * David Izon, also known as David Izonritei, heavyweight silver medallist * Dennis Izon (1907–1967), English football player * Noel Izon, Filipino filmmaker Places * ...
wasn't better at doing what was right every step of the way isn't the most fruitful line of discussion. We are all complicit in a number of evils. We all perpetuate oppression throughout our daily lives."Ribay, Randy (June 6, 2017)
What the Backlash to 'My Family's Slave' Obscured
''The Atlantic''.


References

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External links


"My Family's Slave"
at ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' 2017 essays 2017 short stories American essays The Atlantic (magazine) articles Filipino-American culture Labor in the Philippines Short stories about slavery