The Filipino Americans

In the year 2000 Filipino Americans will be the largest Asian American group. This volume is the first detailed historical study of the major post-1965 immigration of Filipinos to the United States. It provides comprehensive coverage of the recent Filipino American experience from the pivotal Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 under which most Filipinos entered this country to their values and customs economic and political status organizational affiliations and contemporary issues and problems. Students and interested readers will be rewarded with a rich portrayal of individual immigrants and their stories.Filipino Americans emigrated from a nation that has a special relationship with the United States dating from 1898 to 1946 when the Philippines was a U.S. colony. After a brief account of Philippine history The Filipino Americans introduces a diverse immigrant population with accounts of students sailors war brides and nurses who arrived before 1965. Legislation in 1965 encouraged immigration of professionals predominantly physicians and nurses and permitted them to bring relatives. Posadas shows how these new Americans attempted to retain Philippine values and customs amid American economic political and cultural life. Family issues discussed include education and the model minority gangs divorce and aging in a different culture. In addition future immigration is an important topic as many kin are left behind. The final chapter on Filipino American identity has particular relevance with today''s multicultural debates. Tables photos a glossary and biographical profiles complement this outstanding look at these new Americans.