Accomplishment.

Who just finished a 30 page thesis? That's right, ME!!!

I definitely understand what a "labor of love" means. It was pretty painful and I feel like I just lost a few years of my life. But it's done. 

I feel so accomplished. And in a weird twist of fate - instead of scaring me off academia forever - I feel my passion re-ignited.

I read a lot of books about Filipino Americans (and in a short period of time- ahah) and reading about Filipino Americans. Reading those theories. Hearing those voices. It makes me feel proud.

One of the most important things I've learned in my college experience is the power of people's voices. So many times so many dominant powers, ideologies, institutions, and people take away people's voices. Or they discredit or silence those voices. 

Stereotypes and controlling media images create these lies about people, e.g. "Asian American men are good at science and math and have no sexuality" "women are stupid and emotional and weak". But it is the power of people's voices that break down these lies. Biography, history, theory, testimony- all told through marginalized voices. Native American's view of Manifest Destiny, Hawaiian people's sovereignty movement, and other stories expose oppressive powers and the systems they construct to hold up these lies. 

And what is social justice, but a way to show that these voices matter? Marginalized people's voices matter. Marginalized people matter. Filipino veterans and supporters called out for US recognition because their histories are being erased. But with activism, these people managed to finally pass the Filipino Veteran's Bill through Senate. Rigoberta Menchu told the story of her people and revealed the horrendous exploitation of indios in Guatemala. 

I don't think academia is so separate. It is not a direct service like professions in law, medicine, nonprofit activism, but it is still an important arena for Filipino Americans and all others who are being constructed according to hegemonic power systems. In Poetry for the People, there is a motto- "Write or be written" and the related phrase "write or be erased".  I believe academic writing can be just as passionate and just as personal as poetry or other artistic forms. It's just written in a different language. I hear criticisms of academia as "the ivory tower". I don't know if that refers to the heirarchies involved or the race politics (even though I could understand both).  But that mean that it is imperative for people of color to infiltrate academia and force these dominant powers to accept our way of understanding the world. To see the world in our eyes. 

And we can't do that if we don't speak, if we don't write; if we don't challenge "normal" conceptions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. Now, more than ever, I know that academia is a valid route. I feel sometimes that there is a contention between "academia" and "community", but those tensions are created by dominant powers. "Divide and conquer" versus remembering that we all do work we are passionate about in order to accomplish similar means.  I know not everyone I meet in academia (and beyond) will hold my views. Not all academics write for the reasons of improving our world. But I aim to. I know I can incorporate my social justice views into the work I will be doing. Into the research, the theories, the articles, and the books I will be undertaking a labor of love. Love for my people. Love for social justice. Love for equity. 

Voices matter. People need to speak. We will not be silenced. 

That's what I have learned in my undergraduate career. And I am glad that I did. And I also learned how hard it is to speak in the face of power and privilege. But I will not be stopped. Maybe I will adapt and change like all of us should do when power permeates society so. But just because one approach does not work doesn't mean I/we fail. We are powerful because we can speak. We need to speak because there are so many that cannot speak.