In a way, I consider many Filipino American immigrants in the United States as refugees; fleeing the corrupt and sometimes dangerous cities and provinces in the Philippines. Although, apart from working overseas to earn money, one of the reasons why they stay in the United States is to escape poverty and oppression. In Michael Peter Smith's "Transnational Migration and the Globalization of Grassroots Politics," he talks about the reterritorializing of Asian Americans -- Filipino Americans in this case -- in the United States. Indeed, a Filipino American organization has been processing the establishment of "Little Manila" in Sacramento. The organization, Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, has been actively pushing for the transformation of Mack Road boulevard in South Sacramento to be called "Little Manila" and to be a center for trading among Filipino immigrants. As Smith mentioned, this kind of reterritorialization will provide new immigrants and refugees a space for cultural transformation as a response to their displacement.
Smith talked about remittances as a powerful social force that can affect a country's economy. What is the mechanism for remittances towards the improvement of a country?
SeaFood City in South Sacramento will become the epicenter of Little Manila if it gets approved by the City of Sacramento.
Reference:
Smith, Michael Peter. "Can You Imagine? Transnational Migration and the Globalization of Grassroots Politics." Social Text: 15. Print.
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