Vanishing Filipino Americans: The Bridge Generation

by Peter Jamero

Overview

Documentation of Filipino American history is largely limited to the Manong Generation that immigrated to the United States during the early 1900s. Their second-generation children-the Bridge Generation-are now in their sixties, seventies, and eighties; however, the literature is silent regarding their life in America. Vanishing Filipino Americans explores the Bridge Generation's growing up years; their maturation as participants in Filipino youth clubs; their development of a unique subculture; their civic participation; and their triumphs and struggles in America's workforce. Jamero begins the process of documenting the experiences and contributions of these second-generation Filipino Americans, addressing a significant void in the history of Filipinos in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761855002
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	05/20/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.22(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Peter Jamero is a retired health and human services executive who served as assistant secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, director of the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, director of the King County (WA) Department of Human Resources, vice president of the United Way of King County, executive director of the San Francisco City and County Human Rights Commission, branch chief in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and executive director of the Asian American Recovery Services. After retiring, he wrote Growing up Brown: Memoirs of a Filipino American and The Filipino Young Turks of Seattle: A Unique Experience in the American Sociopolitical Mainstream.

Table of Contents

Preface V

Acknowledgments vii

1 An Invisible Generation 1

2 Growing Up Years 6

3 Youth Clubs 21

4 In America's Workforce 29

5 Civic Participation 41

6 Reunions and Recognitions 49

7 Ordinary Yet Extraordinary 54

Bibliography 108

Index 110

About the Author 114

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful resource for so many audiences…illuminat[ing] a critical cohort of Filipinos Americans-the children of the pioneers…. [A] thoughtful and long-needed eye-witness account….

Juanita Tamayo Lott

I was truly touched…. Bridge Generation members were caught between two worlds-the America of our birth and the memories of the Philippines our parents left behind. We often did not feel accepted in either one-so we created our own Filipino American world…. Your book will finally allow our unique stories to be told….

Dorothy Cordova

A scholarly but accessible book.… Interviews of the surviving Bridge members—and their words in particular, as well as the author's clear narrative—help paint a vivid picture…. Jamero deserves credit for writing an excellent book. It is a valuable addition to the belated and still-evolving process of recording the true depth, the full richness and vibrancy, of Filipino American history.

Peter Bacho