Interview with Liza Hamilton, History 150 Spring 2022, Conducted by Kelsey Utter, March 27, 2022.
OVERVIEW TO SOCIAL CHANGE INTERVIEW
Liza Rae Espiritu Hamilton was born and raised in Virginia Beach with her parents, Ed and Loida Hamilton. Loida is originally from the Philippines and Ed is from Sodus Point, New York about an hour outside of Rochester. The two met while Ed was stationed overseas in the Navy. Together they had Liza and her older brother, Chris. Liza works as a server at The Tin Cup, a beachfront restaurant in Virginia Beach. She is currently a freshman here at JMU majoring in Health Sciences on the Pre-PA track with a minor in women’s gender and sexuality studies. She hopes to one day work somewhere in women’s health. Liza has taken 2 trips to the Philippines in 2008 and 2019 to visit her family and homeland. The Filipinos are more conservative community so there is often pressure placed on their children to work hard in school so that they may have the life their ancestors were not as fortunate to experience. Follow along through the interview as Liza and I discuss the pressures of navigating a world not traditionally documented in the history books as a person of mixed races.
For this project, I interviewed my roommate, Liza, intrigued to find out more about the similarities between her heritage and my own: we are both half Filipina on our mom’s side of the family and half white on our dad’s side. I have always wanted an opportunity for the two of us to compare and contrast our stories so this interview is quite special to me. I met Liza in the 3rd grade during Sunday School at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In our class, her dad was one of the teachers so he helped to shape the foundation of both of our religious beliefs. As time went on, Liza and I went to the same middle school but stayed close mostly through the church up until 10th grade when we began to hang out in our free time. From there, our friendship blossomed and we are now freshman roommates at James Madison University.
Over the years, I have gotten to know both Liza and her family better, and the more I learn, the more I recognize familial patterns in Filipino culture. Before the interview, we discovered that our moms had immigrated at different ages and different decades. Loida Hamilton was in her 30s when she met Ed as he was stationed for the Navy in the Philippines. In order to guarantee her American citizenship, Ed and Loida swiftly got married but hesitated to start their family. During the 1990’s, there was a dramatic increase in Filipino population in the United States as the corrupt government there forced thousands of people out of their homeland. Immigration policies between the United States and the Philippines are not the same as they were when Liza’s mom moved to Virginia. Following the events of 9/11, it became more difficult for people around the world especially in the Middle East. I learned that Liza’s Lola was not able to join her family in the United States because she was unable to obtain a visa before her passing. The story of Liza and her family is like many others, including myself, in their journey to the United States. Filipinos represent the 4th largest minority group in the nation and there is quite a prevalent population in and around Virginia Beach due to the abundant military presence in the area.
In this interview we also discuss how being a person of mixed races has affected Liza throughout her life. My hope is that both of our experiences can resonate with others who feel like there are not many people out there who can relate to their stories because it is not a commonly discussed topic. Your story matters and deserves to be heard.
TRANSCRIPTION
Kelsey Utter 0:00
Okay, and we are recording. This is an in person interview with Liza Hamilton taking place on March 18, 2022. In Virginia Beach. How you doing today, Liza?
Liza Hamilton 0:09
I’m doing well.
Kelsey Utter 0:10
Good, good. Alright, so let’s just jump right into it. So could you explain your background for us?
Liza Hamilton 0:17
Sure! So my mom is from the Philippines, and she immigrated here when she was in her 30s. And she met my dad who is from the United States. He’s from upstate New York in Rochester. And they met and had me so I’m half white, half Filipino.
Kelsey Utter 0:33
Awesome. And what was it like for you at home when you were growing up?
Liza Hamilton 0:38
Um, well, it was, I never realized my situation was different until I looked at other people’s situations and I realized they didn’t come from two cultures. It was very interesting having parental units who are both from different cultures because that really like depending on the culture really affects like how they parent, but it was also really cool, like, getting to experience like my dad’s side of the family and to, like, experience everything with that culture, and then as well as my mom’s side of the family so I really enjoyed having both parts in my life.
Kelsey Utter 1:12
That’s fun! I’m going to skip a question because I think this one is more relevant, so how do you think your life differs from like a fully Asian or a fully white person?
Liza Hamilton 1:21
Um, I think there’s definitely a lot of things you gain from being part of both cultures, whether you were fully Filipino or fully white. I think the main area where I differ is just the understanding of both cultures, because I think being raised and experiencing both of them really like creates a certain skills that you have when interacting with both people from cultures that are really valuable when you grow up.
Kelsey Utter 1:21
That’s awesome. Do you think there’s like a balance between like, oh, today I have to be more this or I have to be more that?
Liza Hamilton 1:59
Yeah, I think um it definitely depends on the setting that you’re in. Um you know, whenever you feel like you have to be more aligning with one culture than the other.
Kelsey Utter 2:11
Yeah.
Liza Hamilton 2:11
It definitely, you definitely feel more pressure to align with that group, like coming [to JMU], it’s majority like white people here so you find yourself identifying with that more, but though, when you go to like family functions, whether you’re Asian side or going to any place where it’s majority Asians or People of Color [POCs], any POC really for that matter, you find yourself more identifying with that group. But it almost feels like there’s never like enough, like you’re you’re too white for the Asian people but too Asian for the white people.
Kelsey Utter 2:40
That’s so true. I feel like especially here [at JMU].
Liza Hamilton 2:43
Yeah. [Pause]
Kelsey Utter 2:47
Okay, so the next question, what is it like for you being a first generation American?
Liza Hamilton 2:53
Um, I guess I never really thought about myself as a first generation American until, like, you know, it started being brought up as I started getting older. Um but there’s definitely a certain amount of pressure especially because even though my dad is from here, he also didn’t go to college. My but my mom, she really, like uh, wanted me to pursue higher education. And um she she placed a really big importance on um succeeding here because like to her that was her dream, like the her dream was to come here and live in America, and she did it! So I think she wants to make sure that we value that as much as possible, and that we’re able to like take all the opportunities for us here. And then it’s nice, because since my dad was raised here, he kind of knows more about that and is able to help fuel that like that ambition, that drive that they both want for me.
Kelsey Utter 3:47
That’s really nice. Your mom went to college, right?
Liza Hamilton 3:49
She did. She got her bachelor’s degree in business in the Philippines, but because it was from like a small college in the Philippines, it doesn’t really have much application here. So she’s never been able to use her degree.
Kelsey Utter 4:01
Oh, wow.
Liza Hamilton 4:02
Yeah.
Kelsey Utter 4:03
That’s crazy. Okay, I’m going to switch um the topic a little bit. So um we’re going to switch to more like your major and your STEM [process]. So how did you become interested in the STEM field?
Liza Hamilton 4:16
Well, for a while I wanted to be a fashion designer as a child, that was like my childhood dream.
Kelsey Utter 4:22
I remember that. [Chuckles]
Liza Hamilton 4:24
Yeah, but every every child has their initial dream, but I remember I think it was in like seventh grade when I was like, oh, I need to like make money. Not that you can’t make money as a fashion designer, but I think we start to realize those goals are a little um unrealistic, but I did have a lot of relatives who were like nurses and um who worked in the healthcare field. There’s a lot of nurses in Filipino culture, but I started to look into careers that were also in health care, and I found the title physician’s assistants. So they they work a lot with people, but they also do a lot of sciences, which I thought was good for me, because I really enjoy the sciences and like, especially health like learning about what what makes it so you can live the most healthiest life. And I placed a really big value on helping people. And I feel like as a PA, you can really like, feel that interpersonal like, you’re like you’re actually making a difference in someone’s life. So I thought that was a really good career for me.
Kelsey Utter 5:21
Did, were you inspired for that by your family?
Liza Hamilton 5:23
I think my family had a big part in it just because I saw a lot of my Filipino relatives who were nurses and such. Um so that’s really what drew my interest into the healthcare field, I just realized I wanted a little more of a role that had me in charge than nursing.
Kelsey Utter 5:40
Ah That makes a lot of sense. Okay, so what to you is the most important aspect of a woman’s health?
Liza Hamilton 5:47
Um, well, I think women’s health the like, the reason I found it, like, so important is because I’ve noticed that like in health care, women are usually like, under privileged in a way, like a lot of the stuff that and like the procedures, the protocols that they use in health care, disproportionately affect women and are really outdated. And even when those are fixed. A lot of health care providers treat women with disrespect, they don’t meet all their needs, they don’t take into account all of their biological functions. So I think just overall, being attentive and aware of those things, is the most important part of women’s health.
Kelsey Utter 6:25
That’s, that’s awesome. I’m really glad you enjoy it. Um, do you have any expectations for yourself for entering this field?
Liza Hamilton 6:34
I think my biggest expectation of myself, obviously, yes, you want to get the degree get the job be stable. But to me, what’s more important is having a career where I feel like I’m I’m actually making a difference. Hopefully, that’ll be for women, because that’s where I want to work. But I expect myself to be able to be happy with my career and feel like I’m actually doing something of meaning. So I’d say that’s the highest expectation I have for myself, in that regard.
Kelsey Utter 7:02
We need more doctors like you. And so okay, this is this is kind of my random question. But who is the most influential woman in your life, and why?
Liza Hamilton 7:15
Hmm I’d say that’s a close tie between my grandmother and my mother. They, my grandmother, actually, on my dad’s side, she also didn’t go to college but you know, that was during the times, you know, you just get married, you have kids when you’re like, 22. But she always instilled in me, like, you have to be able to support yourself, you know, you never want to depend on a man or anything, you want to be able to be self sufficient so ever since I was young, I have really taken that mindset with me. And then of course, my mom, she’s always been there for me, especially in my later years, when I’ve really needed it. She’s really helped me through a lot of tough times. And I think without her I wouldn’t be as like determined or progressed as I am today.
Kelsey Utter 8:00
Your mom is an awesome person. And I think it’s really great that older generations inspire us to, like, be independent and like, be able to be self sufficient and do things on our own because they didn’t have those same opportunities.
Liza Hamilton 8:13
Right.
Kelsey Utter 8:13
So I’m on to my next question, so I know you’re still in like the beginning phases of your field but have you experienced like any discrimination so far? Any like rude encounters?
Liza Hamilton 8:23
Yeah, I think I’ve experienced that, both in the actual healthcare field and within learning. With learning, yes, you’re you’re doing mostly like science and math classes. And even though the healthcare field has recently become more filled with women than it has been with men, um there’s still a stigma of men like knowing more and being able to trust them more and having it together more. So you can definitely see like in classes, like even my health and STEM and like science classes, even though it could be a majority women filled class, a lot of the times it’s the men who answer the questions or who are who are picked on to say things and it’s not necessarily because of the professor or the or the, that they think they’re better. I think it’s honestly just that men feel more comfortable speaking out in class.
Unknown Speaker 9:13
I agree because they feel like it’s their place.
Liza Hamilton 9:16
Right, and um then obviously, in healthcare, I think, as a woman and as a person of color, a lot of times physicians, and being young, a lot of times, physicians don’t really, like, they don’t treat what you’re saying with as much respect or as if it’s not as important just because you’re young, and recently would have gone to the doctor because I’m in health care, and studying health care. I know these terms and I say these things and even though you can be as advanced as you can um with your vocabulary and what you know about health, they still treat you like you know, you don’t really know much or don’t listen to you when you’re talking about your health care concerns.
Kelsey Utter 9:56
I remember one time I was at the doctor’s and um I had like this really big pain in like my left side. And I was like, Oh my gosh, like, I think my appendix is going to explode. And it was so bad, I was like, glued to the floor, and I couldn’t get up without walking.
Liza Hamilton 10:10
Oh my gosh.
Kelsey Utter 10:10
And it was hurting. And I called the doctor and I called my mom. And I was like, Mom, please take me to the doctor. And the doctor just said, like, Oh, you just have period cramps, like, you’ll be fine.
Liza Hamilton 10:18
Oh! It
Kelsey Utter 10:18
And I was like, come on!
Liza Hamilton 10:19
It’s everywhere and terrible.
Kelsey Utter 10:21
It’s like, no one’s taking you seriously.
Liza Hamilton 10:23
No.
Kelsey Utter 10:25
Um yeah, that it’s rough out here.
Liza Hamilton 10:28
It really is!
Kelsey Utter 10:30
Okay, so on to the next question. Do you have any concerns for going into the [health care] field?
Liza Hamilton 10:35
Or? Yeah, I think I definitely do because you can see the way that even patients look at doctors, when they’re a woman, a lot of the times, they’ll turn to the man in the room, or they think you look too young, or because you’re a person of color, and they don’t trust you as much. And even if it’s not said aloud, it happens. So yeah, it’s definitely nerve racking for me, especially. Because PAs and doctors are supposed to be such an official like role, and they’re the ones who are supposed to be in charge of the patient’s care um.
Kelsey Utter 11:06
And you want to be taken seriously.
Liza Hamilton 11:08
Right!
Kelsey Utter 11:08
Because you should.
Liza Hamilton 11:09
I feel like at that time, I’ll know what I’m doing and I’ll be able to help people, genuinely, but I don’t want to be overlooked just because of my gender
Kelsey Utter 11:18
Or the way you look.
Liza Hamilton 11:19
Exactly like that. Yeah.
Kelsey Utter 11:20
Honestly, you’re one of the best people I know, for treating people.
Liza Hamilton 11:24
Haha Thank you.
Kelsey Utter 11:26
Okay, so we’re gonna hop back to the topic of like immigration.
Liza Hamilton 11:30
Sure.
Liza Hamilton 11:30
So do you know much about your mom’s story immigrating to the United States?
Liza Hamilton 11:34
Yeah, I do. So she was raised in Pasig City, which is a small town in Manila. Not really small, but a smaller part of Manila, which is the capital of the Philippines, and um she was there until her early 30s. She met my dad through my aunt, and they just started writing letters together and through that she was able to secure a visa when they were getting married. And back then, before 9/11, it wasn’t as hard; um so she emigrated here and they had 90 days to get married. So, you know, they got married as soon as they could so she could stay. But post 9/11 it became difficult, my mother tried to petition her mother to come but it took so long she unfortunately passed away before she was able to come.
Kelsey Utter 12:23
I’m sorry.
Liza Hamilton 12:24
Yeah, so but it’s a pretty it’s still a problem today. I mean, a lot of my relatives, it takes years before they’re able to come here, even if you petition early.
Unknown Speaker 12:33
I was lucky enough that my Lolo and his entire family were able to come over [to the United States] and bring like my mom and all her siblings.
Liza Hamilton 12:39
Right.
Kelsey Utter 12:40
But they did end up leaving like the rest of their family behind. Um my mom’s Lola, she saw her like last time she saw her she was like four years old, when she left.
Liza Hamilton 12:49
It’s terrible.
Kelsey Utter 12:49
Yeah, like they, they would face a little, well you know, they would write letters back home, and like when FaceTime became available, they do that; like, it’s hard to just leave everything behind.
Liza Hamilton 12:58
And it’s so normal for what what really like is amazing to me, though is how like, the persistent they are with it. Like, even though it seems like such a terrible thing to leave your family behind for so long. They will do that sacrifice all that just to be here so I think it’s a really incredible thing.
Kelsey Utter 13:15
It’s really inspiring, they moved here just for us.
Liza Hamilton 13:18
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 13:19
Okay. All right. So on to my next question, so I know you took a trip to the Philippines a few years ago. Um what was that like for you?
Liza Hamilton 13:28
Well, I took a trip when I was like four or five for my cousin’s wedding that I don’t recall very much, but the trip I took in 2019, that was really exciting. We were there for about a month, it was really cool to see that culture be the norm because here (in the state of Virginia) even though there are many Filipinos, you know, obviously it’s America, it’s not the mainstream thing but there where it’s all Filipinos, it’s all Filipino culture, uh you’re really just in a whole other world and it makes you feel a lot more connected to that part because I feel like being here (in the US), it kind of strays you away from that a little bit just because that’s not what you’re raised in but to really live there and experience it um it really makes you feel a lot more connected to who you are.
Kelsey Utter 14:12
That’s… Yes. Were there any like similarities or differences that you saw between like the culture here (in the US) and what’s going on over there?
Liza Hamilton 14:20
Yeah, um, I think the biggest thing I noticed was the difference in poverty levels there in the Philippines I noticed there’s almost no middle class. I mean, you either have a really nice like house and or in live in the city and have a lot of money and you’re well off, or people live in shacks or they live in the side of the road and um it’s really not what you would picture here [clears throat] in America for good living and even the people who have who are lucky enough to have function and toilets, functioning showers, it’s not very well done. I mean, people shower there with buckets on the floor.
Kelsey Utter 14:54
My Lola still showers with buckets now, even here!
Liza Hamilton 14:57
I love the buckets!
Kelsey Utter 14:58
[Laughing]
Liza Hamilton 14:58
but the best part is though they they don’t think that they’re poor, they don’t think that they’re like, worse off. They are ha… completely happy and content with what they have and where they are, and I mean, I lived… cause we stayed with family a lot during that time so I lived like that for a while. And honestly, at first, it’s hard but you know, once you’re used to it, I mean, that’s just kind of how you are and you you see the more important things in life.
Kelsey Utter 15:22
That’s good. It’s nice to hear that you assimilated.
Liza Hamilton 15:24
Well, yeah.
Kelsey Utter 15:24
Because I remember my Lolo. He grew up in poverty um back in his day, and he was telling me like, oh, yeah, I used to go climb like coconut top… the top of a palm tree, and I would eat coconuts, and I would just chill up there.
Liza Hamilton 15:36
Yeah!
Kelsey Utter 15:36
I’m like, that sounds so fun.
Liza Hamilton 15:37
That’s what my mom and her siblings did! They would find their neighbors like mango tree and take their mangoes.
Liza Hamilton 15:42
[Laughs]
Kelsey Utter 15:42
[Laughs]
Kelsey Utter 15:47
Alright, so I’m going to kind of wrap things up here, just kind of address a general question, so where do you see history intersecting with your life? It can be anything, any topic.
Liza Hamilton 15:57
Hmm, wow. I think I think this situation is really interesting, like, it’s a really interesting one because I know before in lot of the wars the Philippines helped out America and the Philippines and America have have been on good terms ever since then, you know, they used to rescue the American soldiers and help them so it’s really nice to have both sides of that, and two cultures that come together so well. There’s a, you know, if people didn’t know, a lot of times, when Filipinos marry outside of the race, it’s with white people, I think because being with someone who’s white from America was seen as an ideal for so long
Kelsey Utter 16:35
Because it provides a lot of security for them financially, all of that.
Liza Hamilton 16:39
Right, right so I think that will continue to be a part of my life, just learning about how they intersect and how those things come together. I think that’ll that’ll go on, not only for the rest of my life, but for the rest of the rest of time, I hope.
Kelsey Utter 16:54
Yeah, I see that going for me too because I don’t know if it’s just like a psychological family thing but I see myself marrying a white man in the future.
Liza Hamilton 17:03
Ha! Me too! *Laughs*
Kelsey Utter 17:05
Haha nice.
Liza Hamilton 17:06
It’s pretty common.
Kelsey Utter 17:09
We take after our moms.
Liza Hamilton 17:10
Yeah!
Kelsey Utter 17:10
Well it was awesome getting to talk to you! Thank you so much.
Liza Hamilton 17:13
Oh, of course anytime. Thank you for all your questions.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Liu, John M., et al. “Dual Chain Migration: Post-1965 Filipino Immigration to the United States.” The International Migration Review, vol. 25, no. 3, [Center for Migration Studies of New York, Inc., Wiley], 1991, pp. 487–513, https://doi.org/10.2307/2546757.
Maribel Hipolito Interview, History 150 Spring 2016, Conducted by Dana Panganiban, Immigration from the Philippines, March 24, 2016.
REYES, RAMON C. “Sources of Filipino Thought.” Philippine Studies, vol. 21, no. 4, 1973, pp. 429–37, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42635066. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.
Saunders, Jennifer, and Alise Garcia. “Improving Women’s Health Challenges, Access and Prevention.” Improving Women’s Health: Challenges, Access and Prevention, https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/improving-womens-health-2013.aspx.