manilaryce:From 1946 - 2012: The Racist Suppression ContinuesOn Veterans Day, Filipinos remember tha
manilaryce:From 1946 - 2012: The Racist Suppression ContinuesOn Veterans Day, Filipinos remember that justice delayed is justice denied. During World War II, the Philippines was a commonwealth of the United States, meaning that Filipinos were American nationals. As American soldiers, Filipinos fought in defense of the United States and were promised the same recognition and benefits as any other American fighting in the war. More than half died. However, in 1946 the United States Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipinos of the benefits they were promised. 66 years later and our veterans still haven’t received the recognition or compensation that they deserve for their brave service.For the past 12 years, Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) has held a Veterans’ Day Rally in response to this continued injustice. With the assistance of Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB, Pro-People Youth), JFAV has been able to gain increased momentum for the issue every year due to the involvement of Filipino youth from college campuses, community organizations, and immigrant rights groups.On November 11th 2012, we had a permit to march down Hollywood Blvd in front of the tourists and locals enjoying the long weekend to remind them that Veterans Day isn’t just a superficial holiday to wave the flag, but a day to remember those exploited and forgotten by the American Empire. According to the LAPD, the crowd of around 800 Filipinos wasn’t large enough to warrant closure of the street, though much smaller crowds for white supremacist and Minutemen marches were granted full access to the route in the past.After resisting the violation of our permit conditions and First Amendment rights, the LAPD finally stopped threatening organizers with arrest and granted us access to half of the road. Despite this initial setback, the march and closing rally at Hollywood & Highland were a success. The harassment of the LAPD and second-class treatment of our people by the US government has never stopped us before. We will return bigger and stronger until we have complete victory.Isulong! -- source link
#veterans#filipino american#asian american#justice