Club Spotlight: Filipino Student Alliance
The Filipino Student Alliance (FSA), one of OHS’s most recently formed clubs, has quickly become a space for Filipinos to feel represented and non-Filipinos to become educated on Filipino culture. Last February, leaders Mia (’26), Ava (’26), and Raphael (’26) formed the club to, in the words of Raphael, “spread the fascinating culture and history of the Philippines.” According to Raphael, “Filipino culture is relatively underrepresented at OHS. [He doesn’t] see any other affinity groups nor clubs really covering [Filipino] history and culture.”
With a mission to rectify this lack of representation and knowledge, FSA’s leaders and members aim to meet twice a week to discuss Filipino history, culture, and politics. For the FSA, education is one of the best things they can offer the OHS student body. Raphael disappointedly shared that “many westerners have misconceptions about the Philippines and its people.” Therefore, FSA is a club that encourages non-Filipino attendance as their meetings are an opportunity to be reintroduced the Filipino culture without these misconceptions. For example, many stereotype Filipinos as being poor or uneducated and many people fail to completely understand the variety and complexity within the Filipino population. Others assume that Filipinos can achieve very little outside of domestic work and manual labor. These misconceptions devalue Filipinos and consequently lead to Filipinos being the victims of hate and abuse.
Most notably, the Watsonville riots are an example of this. Between January 19 and January 23 of 1930, groups of up to 500 white individuals attacked Filipino farmworkers. These attacks were a response to the Filipino men who were seen dancing with white women at a dance hall. Filipinos were accused of stealing jobs from white Americans, seducing young girls, and invading all-white communities. These fears and hateful actions were likely influenced by the false information that was spread about Filipinos and the dehumanization of Filipinos. With these misconceptions and events like the Watsonville riots in mind, the FSA highlights Filipinos who have pioneered various fields throughout history. Finally, the suggestion that Filipinos have a monolithic culture is not one that aligns with their diverse identities, languages, and cultures. While Filipino (the standardized form of Tagalog) and English are the country’s official languages, over 120 languages are spoken in the Philippines. Dialects, accents, and vocabulary change with different neighborhoods and regions along with traditions and cultural norms. FSA’s meetings clarify these misconceptions and focus on celebrating the Philippines’ global contributions to art, literature, science, and politics, which are too often overlooked. The FSA also offers more light-hearted meetings—some examples from earlier this semester include their Karaoke Night and authentic Filipino food discussion as celebrations and food are essential parts of the Filipino culture.
As the club continues to grow, the FSA’s responsibility to represent OHS’s Filipino demographic grows with it. With this in mind, the leaders and members are committed to being a resource for Filipinos to feel seen and celebrated and for non-Filipinos to learn about the truths of an often misrepresented people and culture. Through the FSA, OHS students have gained a “place where students can come together to learn and grow, regardless of their cultural background,” as they explore and celebrate the Philippines’ unique culture. As the FSA welcomes students from every culture and background, they hope that you will join them soon!