
13/08/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/163X8huysp/
“We are simultaneously the creation of our environments and ancestors, and the creators of our environments and our descendants.” ―Aileen Suzara, "Invoking the Ancestors"
Being a second-generation Filipina American, Suzara did not have much connection to the islands and her ancestors. In her essay, "Invoking the Ancestors," she reflects on how colonization and her parent's immigration have erased much of her past, making it hard to discern where she belongs.
However, as Suzara climbs Mount Banahaw in the Philippines, she finds understanding in how there is no one truth: there are multiple. There is beauty in the past and the present connections to the land. The blend they make is even more remarkable.