Chicago
Study reveals top ten social issues confronting Filipino-American
communities
Social and cultural
identity issues top the list of the ten social concerns that beset
Filipino communities in Chicago. This is followed by lack of cultural/heritage
awareness, family problems/inter-generation conflicts and substance
abuse. Racial discrimination figured 5th in the list. The 5 remaining
issues show that Filipino communities are not immune to other problems
faced by mainstream American families. These are elderly isolation,
youth delinquency/gangs, teen pregnancies, alcoholism and lastly,
homelessness (enumerated in order).
Operation Mango, a group of Filipino-American social scientists, academicians
and advocacy leaders, undertook the survey in the hope of coming up
with a more organized and levelheaded approach to address issues within
the immigrant community in Chicago. Consequently, it could be the
basis for identifying services needed and partnering opportunities
with other organizations in Chicago.
Maria Theresa
Joy Ferrera, a doctoral candidate on Social Work at the University
of Chicago and a first generation Filipino-American whose parents
Arturo and Deliciosa Ferrera migrated to the United States from Romblon
Province many years ago, released the pilot survey results to a Filipino
gathering recently in Truman College in Chicago last July 13,2002.
Representatives of Filipino coalition groups, non-profit medical and
legal assistance organizations, a Filipino Chicago police group, a
World War 11 veterans group as well as student representatives attended
the gathering from the city area schools.
In order to come
up with a more definitive result, the study has been expanded to include
a larger population. About 1000 survey forms were distributed among
the participants of the gathering. The findings, expected to be more
comprehensive than the original will be released after Labor Day (September
2002).
Although conducted
solely in Chicago area, the study is seen to be important and significant
and that other Filipino-American communities in other cities or states
could gain insights from it. (Contributed by Ish Fabicon)
