Representatives

Article written for Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Schoolguides website, November 19, 2008

America has recently voted for a new President. Being the President of the United States is a lot of pressure, especially when it seems that every move you make is on video and every word you say is written down and is on record forever.

For those of us who aren’t running for president, we can take it easy a little, because we aren’t scrutinized every single minute of the day.

Or so we think.

When I was in second grade, I was the first Filipino kid in my elementary school. None of the kids knew what a “Filipino” was, and so by default, I became all that they knew in terms of what kind of people came from this country called the Philippines. Because I was a good speller, the kids thought that all Filipinos were good spellers. Because I was pretty good at math, the kids thought that all Filipinos were good at math.

That’s fine and well, but I wasn’t that good at flag football back then. I hadn’t figured out how to throw a decent spiral, or catch the ball the right way. And so, of course, the kids thought that Filipinos weren’t very good at football. But over time (and a lot of practice in my backyard), I figured out how to throw a good enough spiral and catch the ball (“cradle it”) in the pocket that my arms and hands made. Over time, the kids thought that Filipinos, even though they may not be good at something initially, learned pretty fast, and were worth picking when choosing sides during playground sports. I did the same with baseball, basketball and kickball, but could never figure out how to win at tetherball, dodgeball or handball. Overall, I was never the best, but at least I didn’t suck.

But one thing that I made sure NEVER to do was create a bad reputation for myself. One reason is I didn’t want to get in trouble with my parents. The other reason is I realized that, because it was easy for anybody to single me out (I was the short brown kid with the flat nose and straight black hair that wore long sleeves even in the middle of summer because my parents wanted their kid to look “proper” for school), I couldn’t hide and blend in behind a group of other Filipino kids, because there weren’t any except for me. If I did something bad, it felt like it was a bigger deal.

But I realized that if I did something GOOD, it was also a bigger deal. And so I focused on doing more good than bad. I did my best to study the hardest, work the hardest, get the best grades, and practice playing sports so, when it came time to choosing sides for basketball, “the Filipino kid” would not be picked last. As I got older and got into middle school, then high school, I kept doing my best because I didn’t want people to associate “Filipino” with someone who didn’t try to do their best all the time. After a while, it just became habit.

That was decades ago. Most schools now, especially in Los Angeles, are so much more mixed with different types of people. There are a lot more Filipino kids than there were when I was going to school. It might be a lot easier now to hide behind a group that looks similar to you and see if you can “get away” with doing something bad.

But I think that people will still notice, because there’s always something unique with every person. Maybe you like to wear a hat a certain way. If you do something good, you’ll give a better reputation to other people who wear hats the same way you do. If you talk a certain way, or dance a certain way, or ride a certain kind of bike, or play a sport, or play music, whatever it is about you that people can remember, they will, even if it’s in a very small way, associate you with others who do certain things just like you do.

Just as I represented “Filipino” back in grade school, even though I didn’t want that kind of pressure, another kid now will represent “Latino” or “African American”, whether he or she likes it or not. Another kid will represent “redhead” or “blonde” or “brunette”, and another kid will represent “Los Angeles” or “Oakland” or “San Diego” or wherever city he or she lives. All of us, no matter who we are, whether we like it or not, represent something to somebody because of what we do, what we say, and how we carry ourselves every day.