Hi, all! I found a link to a really interesting article that talked about a famous American soldier, David Fagen, who abandoned his troops in the Philippine-American War and actively supported Filipino liberation. I learned of this story through a friend and decided to check it out.
It was interesting hearing how race has been used as justification from Americans to deny people’s rights and freedoms. What made this article and story so unique is the parallel between the dawn of Jim Crow and the anti-Asian sentiment that the United States had at this time. Most of the time, we only talk about Black and White relations within the United States and it is interesting to hear of the ways that the US has intentionally limited knowledge on Asian discrimination (Japanese internment, immigration, etcetera) to perpetuate the model minority ideology. I recommend you all to read the article! It isn’t portrayed as a sob story or one of malice, but was rather objective and showed Fagen’s humanity which I appreciated.
The 19th-Century African-American Soldier Who Fought for Filipino Liberation
A really wonderful look beyond the black white dyad in the US at military history. Thanks for sharing.
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