Many Filippinos, including my family, got citizenship through the US Navy. Because of this, my family’s history is inextricably linked to the events of WWII in the Philippines to the Cold War.

Through 5 timelines—historical, family tree, Tita Cora’s life accounts, Lola’s life accounts, and photos—this timeline explores those interconnections from the Philippines gaining independence to the immigration to the US and beyond.

My grandmother’s self recorded life story encompasses the journey of an immigrant from the Philippines who got citizenship from the US Navy. Upon joining the Navy, her life has been inextricably woven to the events of WWII, the Cold War, and The Vietnam War. Placing her timeline next to the timeline of the US helps to put her story in perspective to show the hardships immigrants have to face in order to gain citizenship during that time.

The goal of this project was to show my grandmother’s (Lola’s) journey from the Philippines to the United States compared to the world’s timeline. My Lolo and
Lola got citizenship through the Navy so their lives were inextricably linked to the major U.S. events like Vietnam and the Cold War. This process began by editing my Lola’s life story and researching dates of major events

In my thinking, this project has been very important. Including stories of immigrants into history and nonwhite narratives is a power we have as designers. We are culture shapers and the ones who get to decide who is included in history.