My father’s family migrated to Washington from the Bataan region of the Philippines in 1970. Already naturalized citizens, my grandparents and their 9 children came to the U.S. after my Lolo served in the U.S. Navy for about 20 years. Drawn to the idea of Americanization, my grandparents wanted my father and my Titas and Titos to live a far better life than he and my Lola lived in the Philippines prior to my Lolo’s time with the U.S. Navy. One story in particular that I have been told many times is of how my Lolo, a young man at the time of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII, was a prisoner of the Japanese. He was held in a church where he was set to be executed by Japanese soldiers. The day of his execution, he managed to escape his prison and fled to the mountains where my Lola and many others were hiding. They came to America for similar reasons as many immigrants did with the pull of work opportunities that could provide them with the American Dream.This Filipiniana jacket pictured belonged to my Lola. Similar to the traditional Barong that Filipino men wear, the Filipiniana is a more traditional style garb made of sheer material that is a staple traditional piece. It reminds me of my grandparents, who have since passed, and the strides they made to provide their family the best possible life that they could. 

– G

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant