Watch Filipino Americans Explain TGIF (Thank God I’m Filipino)

As the second-largest Asian American group in the United States and the first documented Asian people to arrive in the country, it’s a wonder why little has been written about the Philippines or Filipino Americans in U.S. history.

That is why, since 1988, Filipino Americans have celebrated October as Filipino American History Month.

Last year, The New York Times released a video for their “Conversations On Race” series featuring 12 Asian American ethnicities (including Korean, Indian, Vietnamese) — but not one Filipino American voice was present. That exception led The Media Factory and Marissa Aroy, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker, to produce a short film on what it means to be Filipino American.

Watch the video below. Happy Filipino American History Month!