Anthony Ocampo Speaks on Intersectional Identity
By: Anne Brandes, Leela Gandhi and Valentina Zhang
From his virtual stage, race, immigration and LGBTQ+ studies scholar Dr. Anthony Ocampo kicked off his assembly by ruminating on the insurrection at the Capitol. Ocampo pointed out the importance of highlighting marginalized stories. Though facts can change minds, Ocampo reflected, a storyline often holds a considerable amount of persuasive weight. This is one of the core insights behind his book: The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race.
A Filipino-American and the son of immigrants, Ocampo never planned to write a book, get a PhD or be a professor. However, when he arrived at Stanford University he reacted to the lack of Filipino representation by “writing things out.”
One of his professors “out of nowhere” instructed Ocampo to get a PhD. “We need folks to tell our story,” she said to him. This experience set Ocampo on his lifelong path. Ocampo grew up searching for Filipino literature and content, and through his book he had an opportunity to contribute to Filipino media.
His book primarily revolves around the question: ‘Is race only about the color of your skin?’ Ocampo answers this question by exploring social context. According to Ocampo,
“Filipino Americans trace their roots to a society in Asia, but share many cultural characteristics with Latinos, such as religion and last names. This book addresses this puzzle: Are Filipinos in the United States becoming Asian American or Latino?”
The book highlights how Filipino-American identities can change depending on the communities they grow up in, the schools they attend and the people they befriend. The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race has recently been featured on NPR Morning Edition.
Ocampo currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Cal Poly Pomona and is a Ford Foundation Fellow. He is currently working on To Be Brown and Gay in LA which will document the experiences of gay men of color from immigrant families.
Reflecting on his experience speaking at Exeter in an interview with The Exonian, Ocampo shared what it was like to grow up as a queer person of color. “On the one hand, I didn't really know where I sat in terms of my own identity. On the other hand, I already knew it was wrong,” Ocampo said. “The problem is, when you're a kid of color growing up, you don't see a lot of people in your family, schools or television who are going through the same thing. And so you just feel so alone.”
He hoped to give an opportunity to air Filipino experiences. “It's okay to take up space,” Ocampo said. “It's okay to have the experiences that you're so used to...and have those be front and center.”
Upper Aaron Venzon, who co-hosted the Assembly Q & A session with upper Elijah Porras, appreciated the centering of Filipino experiences at Assembly. “I think Dr. Ocampo did an amazing job answering my own questions about my self-identity. Growing up in America, it was extremely difficult for me to really connect with other kids I met who weren't Filipino,” Venzon said. “I think I can say that for kids who identify as Filipino-American, we share a common struggle of trying to fit in with certain groups as we're usually assumed to either be East Asian or Latino, which makes it extremely difficult to really embrace our Filipino identity. However, Dr. Ocampo's speech definitely reassured me and made me realize the importance of embracing my Filipino identity.”
Lower Grace Nivera, who identifies as Filipino, expresses gratitude for the assembly. “I thought Dr. Ocampo’s assembly was long overdue. Filipinos have had so little representation in the media (a side character in a movie here and there, one sentence in a history textbook), and most of the time, we become overlooked, forgotten,” she said. “Being Filipino myself, I felt proud that our culture was finally in the spotlight. I needed to hear this talk.”
Additionally, Upper Aaron Venzon explained how Ocampo helped him accept his identity. “I think I can say that for kids who identify as Filipino-American, we share a common struggle of trying to fit in with certain groups as we're usually assumed to either be East Asian or Latino, which makes it extremely difficult to really embrace our Filipino identity,” he explained. “However, Dr. Ocampo's speech definitely reassured me and made me realize the importance of embracing my Filipino identity”
Ocampo held a Q&A session for Exeter Pinoy Society and Asian Voices after the assembly. Senior and co-head of Asian Voices (AV) Emily Kang shared aspects of Ocampo’s speech that stood out to her. “Ocampo spoke about how Filipino writing is only accepted when it's about trauma or triumph. He also spoke about how he hopes to write about the mundane and he doesn't have to tokenize his racial trauma,” Kang recalled.
During the Q&A session, Ocampo elaborated on his mission—and the responsibility it comes with. “He was talking about how the burden of representation and this need to create more narratives about being a Filipino American,” Kang remembered. “And he was super inspiring especially because Asian writers are pretty rare. His writing was really hopeful to me.”
Senior and co-head of Asian Voices Sarah Huang spoke about the importance of Asian representation. “I think representation is something that's pretty easy to take for granted, especially when you're like in the dominant group,” Huang said. “And so I think he offered just an amazing introductory and nuanced portrait of Filipino American presence in the United States. I really appreciated it.”
Huang concluded by recalling the beginning of Ocampo’s assembly. “In the beginning, he spoke about the power of storytelling, and how we need to continuously hear many different stories in order to dispel certain stereotypes or myths that exist about different populations,” Huang said. “I think challenging ourselves to discover new stories constantly is something that I hope the Exeter community will take away.”
