a few months ago I TA’d (and lectured 2 classes) for a Pilipinx History course at my university *note: basically everyone in the class was pilipinx*. I think what struck me the most was the disconnection most people felt from their roots.

It was apparent that many students’ families had made a concerted effort to sever as many ties with the Philippines as possible in hopes of assimilation. In class discussions and assignments, the confusion and pain surrounding this cultural and spiritual loss was palpable.

Not only did students want to know more, they felt /guilty/ for not knowing.

This is the legacy of colonialism. It takes from you, it shames you, it cuts you off at your roots and berates you for being unable to move upwards, It crushes your native tongue. Your family lineage turns to ash in your mouth and you’re left grasping for ghosts, faint outlines-

where there should be ancestors.
Colonialism doesn’t just rob you of your people’s stories, it strips away the reality of their strength- the raw power of their struggle and their unwavering resilience.

Amerika knows that history is a revolutionary tool, therefore it must be whitewashed/obliterated.
This is why knowledge is so VITAL to the cause. Thru historical and cultural education we reconnect to what was and what is. We find ourselves and we find our place in the struggle.

our hands- previously empty and wanting- are now met with the hands of those who came before us, the hands of those kasamas (comrades) fighting in motherland.

try as Amerika might, there is no containing the revolutionary power of the pilipinx people. as we stand together, as we learn together, the fight lives on. isang bagsak!