Our Struggle to Belong: A Story of Decolonization of a Hawaiʻi-Born Ilokano Filipino Educator

• In Event: Decolonizing Educational Research: Re-Storying How We Empower and Transform Filipina/x/o Communities

Abstract

Objectives
Racism is a system of advantage based on race, cultural messages, institutional policies and practice, and the beliefs and actions of individuals (Labrador & Caldwell, 2021). In the United States, this system advantages Whites and disadvantages People of Color (Labrador & Caldwell, 2021). In Hawaiʻi, Filipina/x/os are also subordinated within an ethnic stratification (Okamura, 2021), reinforcing colonial mentality (CM), the belief that Filipina/x/os are psychologically and intellectually inferior and is a form of internalized oppression (David, 2013; Nadal, 2021). Consequently, Filipina/x/os have undergone a process of ethnic disidentification, a denial of their heritage and embrace of the dominant ideologies of a local identity (Labrador, 2015). CM is a critical issue facing the Filipina/x/o community and to move forward, they need to decolonize (Halagao, 2010). This study aimed to explore: (1) What contributed to my ethnic disidentification, localization, and CM?, (2) How was I supported through decolonization?, and (3) What impact did decolonization have on my teaching practice, curriculum, and pedagogy?

Theoretical Frameworks
This self-study utilized decolonization as an analytical tool to understand the experiences of formerly colonized people as they unlearn CM (Halagao, 2010). Strobel (2015) theorized a process of decolonization that Filipina/x/os experience in the US by naming historical oppressors, reflecting on the effects of colonialism, and acting in assisting others. Oceanic Filipinx was an analytical tool to explore how: (1) Filipina/x/os have been shaped by the politics of Indigeneity and place, (2) Filipina/x/os can work toward place-based approaches to erode structures of heteropatriarchy, White supremacy, and settler colonialism, and (3) US empire impacts our communities in different ways (Saramosing & Labrador, 2022).

Methodology
I used Testimonio as a method to critically reflect on my personal experiences within sociopolitical realities, resulting in a text written by and for marginalized groups to theorize oppression, resistance, and subjectivity (Bernal, Burciaga & Carmona, 2012). Testimonio and documents like journals, letters, videos, and reflections were collected as data to tell my story.

Findings
This study revealed the: (1) invisibility of Philippine languages, histories, cultures, and educators and (2) oppression by the Filipina/x/o and broader community contributed to ethnic disidentification, localization and colonial mentality. Alternatively, (1) Filipina/x/o scholarship (2) solidarity with the Hawaiian community (3) learning Filipino languages and cultures, (4) support by Filipina/x/os, and (5) supporting others contributed to decolonization. Finally, this study highlighted that decolonization had a significant impact on my teaching practice, pedagogy and curriculum in informal learning spaces, but had a limited impact on my formal teaching and curriculum.

Significance
The experiences of Filipino Americans are often invisible in academia (Nadal, 2021) and Filipina/x/os in education is “a topic of research that is virtually non-existent” (Halagao & Libarios, 2016, p. 1). This study provides: (1) a foundation for future research on Filipinos in K-12 education, (2) emerging themes for curricular and pedagogical interventions to support decolonization, and (3) my testimonio as part of our collective story.

Author

• Phillippe Rivera Fernandez-Brennan, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa