I-Hotel
I've walked up and down the stairs of some of the "hotels" of the Tenderloin, bringing
some of their guests a Thanksgiving meal. With this glimpse in mind, I can only begin to imagine
life in the I-Hotel, as captured in the documentary we watched (Fall of I-Hotel.)

While there is definitely a time and a place, a rise and a fall to everything, I am thankful for the documenting of the I-Hotel. It reminds me that each immigrant community has a rich heritage that yes, tends to dissipate concretely (in the forms of declining ethnic enclaves or towns) as well as fade in the immigrants' minds (and passing of these generations).

With the passing of the manaos, like many pioneer immigrants, and the demolition of I-Hotel, I am further convinced of the role of non-profit organizations, such as ethnic associations in preserving our heritage.

In a completely other realm, for example, while it may not be economically efficient to maintain Yosemite National Park, I'm so grateful for its preservation by our government. Yosemite is a true gem, marvelled my millions each year. Imagine that without it being deemed a national park, it might very well be a bunch of homes....

Can we also preserve "gems" of our ancestors' immigration for the appreciation of future generations? While we can always think bigger, there are examples. One that comes to my mind is a museum such as the Japanese American National Museum in LA. Or ? Or ? Or is literature sufficient?

While yes, we are not in the past, but in the present, preservation of our ancestors' journeys celebrates our present as well as our future. Learning of our past, I cannot help but be grateful for the history that my ancestors were a part of. I cannot help but better understand my present, in view of the past.

Just some thoughts.

- posted by aileen @ 2:10 PM 0 comments

 
Gravities of Center
What I liked about Reyes' Anthropologic is that her format helped the reader come to their own conclusion re: the St. Louis Fair exhibition of Filipinos. For example, she simply presented facts, like newspaper headlines or photo captions. She depicted a type of form with the subject's names. Or she gently asserted her own opinion with "land of mo(u)rning". This subtle style was much appreciated. Even the blank spaces helped the reader focus on the facts and keep an even, consistent pace to taking it all in.

So often authors seem too much in a hurry to assert their point of view, which is often filled with bitterness and contempt for the past injustices. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we need to help others come to that point for themselves by presenting them with facts and giving them the freedom to make up their own minds.

So again, I appreciate that she was not in a hurry to bash the majority for their past acts but she let the facts speak for themselves.

- posted by aileen @ 1:45 PM 0 comments