Black Lives Matter: Why It Should Matter to Filipinos

Black Lives Matter: Why It Should Matter to Filipinos

Robyn Matuto at the climate march in September 2019.
(Photo by Shayne Hontiveros)

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

Outrage over the murder of George Floyd has sparked rallies across the world, gaining support from ethnic groups such as Anakbayan Toronto. The Filipino youth organization, which has 20,000 members worldwide strives for “genuine freedom, peace and democracy.” The group showed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement by joining 30,000 protesters during a recent rally in downtown Toronto.

The Philippine Reporter spoke with Robyn Matuto, 22, a group member, and Rosetta Lucente, 19, secretary general of Anakbayan Toronto, on why the issue should matter to the Filipino community.

What does the Black Lives Matter movement mean for Filipinos?

Lucente: Filipino and black struggles aren’t the same but they’re certainly linked.

Matuto: Anti-black racism is universal.

Is there anti-black racism within the Filipino community?

Lucente: The Philippines has hundreds of years of history of being colonized by white people, resulting in anti-blackness in our community. The colonizers deemed negritos as uncivilized and this anti-black mentality continues today. We have to educate first our own families, friends and peers in our community to combat anti-blackness and colourism.

Matuto: Absolutely. Whitening soaps are prevalent within our popular culture. Our culture treats darker skinned and/or Indigenous Filipinos like lesser than others. Our work as Filipinos is to look within ourselves and our communities and start the unlearning (and learning!) process.

Police abuse is also a very real issue for Filipinos.

Lucente: The Filipino community also experiences police brutality here in Canada and back home in the Philippines and the shared experiences with our black allies is the basis of our solidarity. A tragic example in Canada is the death of Jeffrey Reodica, a 17-year-old from Scarborough who was shot and killed by Detective Constable Dan Belanger. Belanger was cleared by the Special Investigations Unit and they said the shooting was justifiable.

Matuto: Police brutality in the Philippines is also an issue; it’s not exclusive to North America. When we fight it here, we fight it everywhere. We send a message as people in the diaspora and to those back home.

What do you think about racism in Canada and the government’s response to this issue?

Lucente: Canadians like to think that Canada is better than America, that Canada is a safe haven, racism doesn’t really exist here and Canadian cops are nice. But until today, Canada runs on the backs of migrant workers like our own community. Canada also has its own long history of slavery of Africans and racism knows no boundaries, it’s not contained within borders.

Matuto: The Canadian government is playing into the idea that this country is a utopia that’s free of racism, but it isn’t. Think of residential schools, Africville, etc. We still have the ongoing epidemic of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). The government’s silence speaks volumes on how we approach racism and anti-blackness. Their eagerness to give into the propaganda that we’re a utopia is insulting.

Are COVID-19 and violence concerns during protests?

Lucente: The sentiment right now is that people are dying from police brutality – we have to show up and demand justice and an end to these killings. I was aware of the risks and I’m planning to get tested. My other associates who attended also got tested. We’re exercising the utmost caution.

Matuto: I don’t worry about protests turning violent. If they do, I just hope we’re prepared to take care of each other as a community.

What’s the atmosphere like during rallies?

Lucente: There was police presence, but they stood back. There were some bystanders watching who would jeer at us. A person dumped bleach from his window trying to get bleach on protesters. We saw that in the Toronto community there are many who don’t support this movement for justice.

Matuto: The protest was full of people from all walks of life, of all different races and ethnicities. The solidarity between thousands of people gave an air of hope for the future.