Did your friends and relatives share the clip of Emmy hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che joking about the TV show ER not having one Filpino nurse during its 15-season run? When people find out you’re Filipino, do they ask if your mom is a nurse? (My answer is YES 🙋🏻♀️) The book I’m highlighting for #FilipinoFridaysAreLit explores the phenomenon of Filipina nurses in America: Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History by Catherine Ceniza Choy. . . Several years ago, my sister signed us up for a Filipina Women's networking conference. We traveled into NYC and attended panels presented by women from different fields, from history to entertainment. As proud Filipinas, we were even prouder and inspired to be surrounded by so many successful women who looked like us and could aspire to be like. Dr. Catherine Ceniza Choy was one of the ladies we had the privilege of seeing. During her presentation, we learned about her work and her book Empire of Care. I purchased it as soon as we got back from the conference and it’s stayed with me since. . . How did the Philippines become the leading exporter of professional nurses? I found out it's far more complicated than the “coming to America for a better life” narrative. Through the United States’ colonization of the Philippines, nursing students became viable workers for U.S. hospitals and American culture influenced their desire to migrate. Choy provides a transnational perspective, conducting research in the Philippines and the United States examining the complex history of colonialism, imperialism, and immigration between the two nations. Empire of Care is a cherished book in my library because it gave me a historical context in which my mom and many of my titas came to the U.S. By learning our history, it’s apparent that one of the many ways Filipino Americans helped build this nation was by providing care of its people. 🇵🇭🇺🇸 . . . #filipinofridaysarelit #empireofcare #catherinecenizachoy #bookstagram #pilipinxbooks #asianamericanreaders #filipinoamericanhistory #filipinoamericanhistorymonth #FAHM #FAHM2018 #filamsofbookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bojy2BeFgfz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eydjvosahtb6