The Filipino-American Model-Minority

An important topic that was not discussed in the course that may be deemed useful to the pursuit of Critical Filipino American Studies is the discussion of the implications the model-minority myth implicits on Filipino-Americans. Model-minority is the expectation placed upon the Asian-American groups that distinguishes most as having “superior academic ability, as being hard-working and economically self-sufficient, and therefore, as requiring less special support to become independent and successful in U.S society” (Cunanan). Though Filipinos fall under the umbrella of Asian-American, their immense differences from their Asian-American counterparts are important to recognize in order to comprehend as to why most Filipinos struggle to uplift the title of being a model-minority. Recognizing the Philippines’ history of being colonized by both the Spanish and the United States separates them from the cultural and historical experiences of other Asian-American countries. Not only does this relate to the topic of colonization that was previously discussed in the course, but it also relates to the three importants shifts taking place

Benefits of covering this topic include: gaining awareness on the inequalities present in the education system for Filipino-Americans, it enables students to understand the significance of colonization on present Filipino-Americans and, most importantly, it allows students to reflect on their own biases inflicted by the model-minority myth. The model-minority myth not only dehumanizes Filipino-Americans, but it also overshadows any hard-work and perseverance. By touching upon this subject, it strips away the notion that success among Filipino-Americans is not a god-given talent, but a continued form of