I've reviewed and edited a couple of personal statements for law school this week, and I decided to look up some information on Asian American lawyers. What I found was pretty alarming. According to the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, Asian Americans make up 2.3 percent of the nation's 871,115 lawyers. Compared this to the Census reported 4.4 percent of the national population and 13 percent of the California population that Asian Americans make up.

Asian American lawyers still face some discrimination in real courtrooms, too. A judge asked to see an Asian American lawyer's Bar card. The lawyer responded, "If you asked every lawyer to show their Bar card, I would do so. But you only ask me, because I'm Asian, because I have an accent."

Even, historically, Asian Americans were not allowed to become lawyers. Gonzalo Manibog was the first Filipino Ameican lawyer in the country, graduating in 1917 from a school in Indiana. He would say, "Unless we can go into the leadership areas, we really don't have our share of the apple pie." Go into a position of leadership. The income is good, but the satisfaction of helping people is even greater.

Upon returning home from the Pilipino Youth Coalition (PYC) Retreat, I went home and immediately went to see my lola. She was sitting in her room, in the dark. First she told me to check the electricity in the house, and then she asked, "Are you mad at me? You didn't come see me this week." I told her that I was at the PYC Retreat, to which she didn't reply.

I don't know. I value PYC, what it means for so many people. Yet I value what lola means to me.

Guilt can really eat away at a person. A utilitarian would say that I did the right thing, assisting at the PYC Retreat and affecting more people. Yet Filipino values, where family is foremost, tells me otherwise.

I'll just get over it. What is done is done.

Today I received an e-mail from someone regarding the Filipino American history display that I helped develop. It said,

On one of the displays for '300 Years of Filipino America,' there's a pic of someone holding a banner that says 'Phillipino' instead of Filipino...fill me in...why? Obviously there's something I don't know...

My response was.

Hello XXXXX,

There has been much debate about the use of Filipino v. Pilipino v. Philipino. The original alphabet and script (Baybayin) had no equivalent to the letter "f". It did have a "p" equivalent. When Magellan landed on the islands, he named the islands Las Islas Felipinas, after King Felipe II. The indigenous people, not having an "f" equivalent, could not say "Felipe." They would say, instead, "Pelipe." The "ph" was introduced at the Treaty of Versailles when "Las Islas Felipinas" was ceded by Spain to the US, and the name was Anglicized to "The Philippines" (still named after King Felipe II, but now Anglicized to King Philip II) to reflect the change.

So, a person could use Pilipino from an indigenous perspective, Filipino from a Spanish perspective, or Philipino from an American perspective. Scholars still debate it today.

Hope that helps,

Bobby G. Roy, Staff Services Analyst
Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction

When I got home today I went to talk to my lola. She asked me to put her in a convalescent home. She told me that if I can't take care of her, I should let her go. I was speechless. A while back she was telling me how she doesn't want to go to a care home. I'm failing her. I'm failing myself.

She took care of me when I was young. My mom was always working. She worked two full-time jobs. My mom provided all the fiinancial support as a single parent and my lola provided me all the emotional support. I must not be doing a good enough job for her to feel like I can take care of her.

A lot of people put their parents or grandparents into homes. Yet it seems to vary with culture. I don't know many Filipinos that have done it. The sense of family is so strong among Filipinos, as evidenced by the multiple generations that may live in a home. The children don't move away. A lot of times, they stick around and inherit the home that generations of their family lived in. I believe that the idea of moving away is a more American practice. That sense of independence lends to that practice. However, maybe it is just modern society to move away. In the Philippines, people stayed around to work the farm with their family. The society was very agrarian. Now, in the modern world, most of the farming is done by huge corporate farms, not by individual families. It's a change in society.

I took care of my mom until her death and I planned to do that for my lola. Yet I want to make sure that she is comfortable until that final moment. If I can't provide that, my pride should not be an issue. It's about her, not me. My life revolved around her. She is my life. I owe that much to her.

Don't believe in slogans; believe in the truth behind the slogans.

I have many slogans. Some I have memorized, but many don't. They really aren't slogans. They are more like mottos. They are words that I live by. I keep a running list of great words of wisdom that I come across. When I read, or listen, I notice them and write them down. They come from a variety of sources, young and old, formally educated and not, celebrity and non-celebrity, etc. Yet the impact they have on me is unequaled.

What most people probably don't know is that I find many of my quotes and sayings from the people around me. On many occassious, they come from, or are inspired by, the youth that I have encountered. They are amazingly poignant, relatively untouched by the jadedness that pervades many adults. I wonder if the feeling that I have from witnessing some students grow up, mature, and give back comes even close to that a parent has for their child as they grow up to achieve another milestone. I would mention the names of some of those people, but you know who you are.

Thank you for helping me grow. You have taught me a lot. I truly appreciate it. To be honest, words cannot express what your inspiration means to me. For so long I've felt like I'm nearing the end of my journey, approaching my destination. Still I strive. I know no other way.

Today I attended the inauguration ceremony of my boss, Jack O'Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction in California. It was quite the red carpet, celebrity and star-studded event, with many past and present politicians including Phil Angelides and Willie Brown, Jr. Messages were also sent from Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, the band Chicago, Mike Roos, and other well-known names in the political arena. The fact that it was held in the California State Assembly Chamber only contributed to the ambience.

Jack's speech was quite insightful and inspiring, with a good blend of humor, drama, and optimistic vision. He talked about former Governor Pat Brown being in the Capitol saying, "There is a difference between responsibility and timidity." Later, Jack talked about focusing on closing the achievement gap. He said, "My friends, this gap endangers the future of far too many students and our future workforce. That is why I believe narrowing this gap is not only a moral imperative but also an economic imperative....Fulfilling the promise of California today means we can't start addressing the needs of children the day they enter kindergarted, and stop addressing them once they graduate from high school....We can no longer view our schools or ourselves in isolation from other states, other cultures, other nations....If we want our children to become successful citizens in the 21st century, we as a society have to provide the means and the environment for them to develop not only academically, but socially, culturally, and physically as well....We need to lift the limits we've put on our schools and on ourselves. And we need leadership with a clear vision of the changing needs and demands of this new world."

I think that's a good vision for anyone.

300 Years of Filipino America

The display below was showcased the entire month of December 2006 at the California Department of Education (CDE) building in Sacramento, CA. Created under the direction of Bobby G. Roy, the CDE Press Office produced the ten 30" x 40" panels on high density art board and put the display in the main lobby of the building, where over 1500 people passed it each day. Roy is currently seeking other venues to display the panels. If you would be interested in having the display at one of your events, please contact Bobby G. Roy, Chief Executive Officer, Chi Rho Omicron, Inc., at (916) 224-8244 or by e-mail at bobbyroy@2by2.net.

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars.

Her divinity touches all that is and is all that she touches.

Manigong Bagong Taon! That's Happy New Year in Pilipino. To truly make it a happy year, one should really make the best of it.

It has been a time of reunions...of sorts. More like reacquaintances. I reacquainted myself with some old friends and found out what they are doing now. It's amazing to see how for they all have gone. A few people are extremely happy with where they are at right now and others talked about their experiences with not a whole lot of zeal. Regardless, they were astoundingly insightful. I pretty much allowed them to speak as I listened intently. I've always been a better listener than speaker. However, I always have an opinion. One of those opinions is that by mere virtue of us being present, we have much more to do.

This year, my goals are simple. I would like to provide for my lola this entire year, keeping her alive and well, live another year, maintain what good fortune that I have been able to gain, and do what little I can for the veteranos and my community.