Challenger Research Journal

 While notable research has been done into the history of Filipina/o/x American (Fil-Am) communities in Southern California (Espiritu, 2003; Bonus, 1997), many of these analyses fail to take into account the unique construction of San Diego’s Fil-Am community as a result of two primary factors: enlistment into the U.S. Navy as a dominant avenue for Filipino immigration to San Diego and San Diego’s physical proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border during an anti-immigrant political climate. This particular historical and geographic context has positioned enlistment into the U.S. Navy as a “common sense” mode of being Fil-Am in San Diego through the perception of military service as a means of becoming an ideal immigrant-citizen (in stark contrast to the image of an “illegal alien”). Through analyzing the historical conditions of Filipina/o/x American immigrants, veterans, and military-affiliated communities from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, this paper aims to explore the specific political alignment of the San Diego Fil-Am community to unravel the connections between race, citizenship, and patriotism and imagine alternative configurations of Fil-Am identity grounded in collective liberation. This paper also briefly explores the potential of grassroots, community-based youth mentorship initiatives to push back against the seemingly de facto enlistment of these community members into the military. Such analysis is crucial for challenging White supremacist logic that conflates proximity to Whiteness with “worthiness” of a place in the United States.