We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet , livre ebook

State University of New York Press - E. J. R. David

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88 pages

English

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In a series of letters to his mixed-race Koyukon Athabascan family, E. J. R. David shares his struggles, insecurities, and anxieties as a Filipino American immigrant man, husband, and father living in the lands dominated by his family's colonizer. The result is We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet, a deeply personal and heartfelt exploration of the intersections and widespread social, psychological, and health implications of colonialism, immigration, racism, sexism, intergenerational trauma, and internalized oppression. Weaving together his lived realities, his family's experiences, and empirical data, David reflects on a difficult journey, touching upon the importance of developing critical and painful consciousness, as well as the need for connectedness, strength, freedom, and love, in our personal and collective efforts to heal from the injuries of historical and contemporary oppression. The persecution of two marginalized communities is brought to the forefront in this book. Their histories underscore and reveal how historical and contemporary oppression has very real and tangible impacts on Peoples across time and generations.
Preface
Prologue

1. My American Family

2. My Love

3. My Sons

4. My Daughter

5. Our Roots

Postscript
Bibliography
About the Author

Sujets

Ethnic studies

Memoir

Indigenous peoples

Informations

Publié par	State University of New York Press
Date de parution	02 février 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781438469539
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1248€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Praise for We Have Not Stopped Trembling Yet
“David, through his deeply personal words to his family and community, masterfully calls our attention to the systemic injustices that perpetuate themselves under the false promises of the American Dream; offered only to some, invisibly blocked to others. We, the witnesses and fellow victims to this truth cannot look away—we must not. Maraming salamat , E. J., for your vulnerability and courage. May it serve to grow the awareness necessary to shift the trajectory of our future ancestors’ experiences.”
— Jorie Ayyu Paoli, Vice President and Indigenous Operations Director, First Alaskans Institute
“David is gifted with the wisdom and philosophical acumen of an Elder. I emerged from the deep, dark truths about the aftermath of colonialism emanating from David’s heart with an amplified sense of urgency to instill hope, resilience, and belief in current and coming generations that this world can and will be ‘a better place.’ ”
— Pausauraq Jana Harcharek, Director of Iñupiaq Education, North Slope Borough School District
“David has written a spiritual, self-examination, and cultural critique of his American and his Filipino family. It reminds me of the duality of Black consciousness elegantly depicted by W. E. B. Dubois. In the final summation, he exhorts his native family to love and believe in themselves, to shed the idea that they are special because of their Americanness, and to reclaim their kapwa —their humanity. He also challenges White America to find theirs. David has rendered a powerful and valuable meditation, guided by self-reflection and familial love, and grounded in intellectual discernment and a generosity of spirit. An inspiring and informative read.”
— James M. Jones, author of Prejudice and Racism, Second Edition
“This book is a heartbreaking and heart-validating masterpiece about a Filipino American immigrant man who worries about the future of his children in what was once deemed a ‘post-racial’ America. In his letters to his family, he tackles a spectrum of issues affecting people of color—from unlawful police deaths to historical trauma to immigration reform. His intersectional lens in understanding how his own multiracial kids may be forced to overcome obstacles like colonial mentality, toxic masculinity, institutional sexism, and stereotype threat is one that is rare, raw, and refreshing for an academic. He brilliantly uses personal stories, historical facts, and contemporary media accounts, while tying in scientific psychological and epidemiological research, to demonstrate how racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression are slowly killing us. In sharing the grief, anger, and trauma of losing his childhood friend to unjust police violence, his voice becomes one that represents the weight that ‘woke’ Black and Brown Americans carry with us daily, as we continue to survive, thrive, and tremble in this society.”
— Kevin L. Nadal, author of Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice
“David takes often theoretical constructs such as ‘internal oppression,’ ‘white privilege,’ ‘historical trauma,’ and provides visceral, emotional contexts through examination of his own personal life and the lives of his loved ones, both ancestral and current. He delivers those contexts through well-crafted letters to his wife, sons, and daughter explaining the complexities of their realities in an approachable, easy-to-understand manner. One of David’s most striking analyses is bridging the perceived gulf between Native Americans and his status as a Filipino who immigrated to Native American lands. This is an important work that ties together histories, generations, and peoples and provides the reader with a solid grounding to challenge the dominant narrative.”
— Bonnie Duran, Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, University of Washington
“History is about stories of conquests through the ages. Historians often write those stories with a dispassionate view of colonization and oppression. E. J. R. David’s book gives a personal narrative on topics of oppression and racism to his family. It’s also a gift to others whose voices have been muted. ‘Letters’ to his family is a time capsule worth reexamining.”
— Jim “Aqpayuq” W. LaBelle
WE HAVE NOT STOPPED TREMBLING YET

WE HAVE NOT STOPPED TREMBLING YET
LETTERS TO MY FILIPINO-ATHABASCAN FAMILY
E. J. R. DAVID
Cover image and frontispiece: [Get rid of all Filipinos or we’ll burn this town down letter], James Earl Wood collection on Filipinos in California, BANC MSS C-R 4, Box 2, Folder 18. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2018 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press,
Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Ryan Morris
Marketing, Fran Keneston
Book design, Aimee Harrison
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: David, E. J. R. (Eric John Ramos), author.
Title: We have not stopped trembling yet : letters to my Filipino-Athabascan family / E. J. R. David.
Other titles: Letters to my Filipino-Athabascan family
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017027514 | ISBN 9781438469522 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438469539 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: David, E. J. R. (Eric John Ramos) | Filipino Americans—Alaska—Biography. | Filipino Americans—Ethnic identity. | Athapascan Indians—Ethnic identity. | Athapascan Indians—Alaska—Biography. | Racism—United States—21st century. | Alaska—Race relations.
Classification: LCC F915.F4 D38 2018 | DDC 305.8009798—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017027514
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Margaret, Laka, Manu, and Kalu.
You all teach me so much.
For Pamiuq’s family.
Quyanaqpak for blessing us with Pum.
CONTENTS
Preface
Prologue
I. My American Family
II. My Love
III. My Sons
IV. My Daughter
V. Our Roots
Postscript
Bibliography
About the Author
The stories in this book reflect the author’s recollection of events. Although the stories are verifiable by publicly available and well-circulated sources, some names, locations, and other identifying information have nevertheless been changed to respect the privacy of those depicted. The presented dialogues in various parts of the book have been re-created based on the author’s memory.
PREFACE

Dear Reader,
This book is nonfiction. Although some identifying details have been changed, the stories I share in the letters are real and, consequently, so are the emotions, insecurities, and confused thoughts that I experienced. However, this is not a memoir. Although race, racism, and other forms of oppression—historically and contemporarily—are important and defining components of my life, they do not make up the entirety of who I am. Also, these letters were written as expressions of my struggles, anger, and anxieties that became especially salient during a particularly dark moment of my life—a moment sparked by the painfully tragic death of one of my best friends. Although some of my convictions and perspectives may have changed since these letters were written—attesting to the state-dependence of extreme emotions, the ups and downs of life, the natural trajectory of growth and maturity, as well as the reality that racial identity development is never-ending so long as we are living and interacting with this racialized world—many of my viewpoints shared in this book have remained the same and will most likely remain the same forever. In fact, I have expressed similar perspectives about these same topics in my previous works prior to writing these letters. Further, I also want to note that, in each of the letters I explore a set of issues or themes not necessarily because they apply only to the person to whom I am writing in the particular letter—although this is sometimes the case—but also because I felt that there are certain topics that are more organically fitting to explore with a particular person compared to others. For example, just because I am discussing a certain issue with my daughter does not necessarily mean that the issue does not apply to my sons, and vice versa; it’s just that some topics more naturally come up in some conversations than others. Finally, although these letters were intended for my family, I know that the issues I have been struggling with are much bigger than me and my loved ones. Therefore, each of the letters is written to address broader themes that open up the conversation to many others who may share similar experiences. I hope other folks are somehow able to relate and connect.
To you and other folks who come across this book—I offer kamalayan, kapw