Vicente Sotto Lecture 2023 April
“On Language, Education & Culture: Views from the Young Visayan-Americans in Hawaii”
Dr. Rodney Jubilado
ABSTRACT:
In 1909, the Visayans, who were mostly from Cebu and Siquijor, set sail to the Hawaiian Islands to fill in the labor gap in the sugar plantations under the employment of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association (HSPA). The hiring of the Visayan laborers was facilitated due to the fact that the Philippines was an American colony and that the Filipinos were US nationals until 1946, the year when the Philippines was granted independence. One hundred years later, Hawaii is now home to the generations of Visayan-Americans who were either the descendants (or relatives) of the Visayan Sakadas or part of the recent immigrants from the Philippines.
Focusing on the young generations of Visayan-Americans, this paper aims at the description and analysis on the views and perspectives of the second-, third-, and fourth- generations inclusive of their connection to the homeland, career, and education. Using purposive sampling, questionnaire, and interview, the data was gathered among the students of the Filipino Studies Program at the University of Hawaii-Hilo from 2019-2023. Findings include their distancing from the homeland in terms of “unbridled” financial aid, “non-typical” career choice, and sustained interest in the study of their heritage.
Date: April 15, 2023
Category: Vicente Sotto Lecture Series