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In the summer of 1996, I took a trip with a friend to an agrarian suburban city in central California. We were invited to table for maganda at a fair celebrating the city's history as a place where many of the first Pilipino American immigrants came to work in the early 1900's. As the city was predominantly Pilipino American, I came with high hopes to widen maganda's readership. To my surprise, few cared.
I discovered that many of the city's residents were disinterested in maganda. Many of its youth were more interested in checking each other out, while the older populace just wanted to sit down, eat, and gossip. Displaying copies of maganda at our table, my friend and I stood out from those dressed in jock gear for the guys, and blue jeans & black baby-tees for the girls. In a way, my experience felt very much like Allyson Tintiangco's (p.55), when she encountered negative attitude when trying to interview pinays at the mall for her article on Pinayism. Observing the youth at the fair made me wonder whether they traded their own individuality for a larger group membership.
This issue focuses on the diversity in the Pilipino American community. Understanding diversity opens the opportunity for an individual to break the stereotypes which surround her/him, whether these stereotypes originate from issues of race, heritage, history, gender, sexual preference, or eclectic taste. Understanding diversity allows us to look deeper into our selves and beyond to realize that communities can be the most unlikely group of people. This definition of diversity comes from my experience working in maganda this year.
At best, the staff can be described as an eclectic mix. For example, some of us were more inclined to take capitalist strategies to make maganda more successful, while others wanted to see maganda take a more interactively social route with the Pilipino American community. In spite of our differences, we produced a variety of poetry readings, performances, and an art exhibition at the Asian Resource Center in Oakland Chinatown showcasing the works of Pilipino American artists—all of which were benefit events to help fund this issue.
In this issue, you will come across poetry, prose, and artwork. In addition, you will also find articles recording the testaments of Pilipino Americans who served in the U.S. Military, the experience of a queer pinay coming out, and research performed by a pinay in search of understanding the diversity and complexity of Pinayism.
We proudly present this issue to you and hope that the pieces herein inspire you.
Wayne Baitan Hangad
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