Skyline College/North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline
College Library
Student project for LSCI 110
– Digital Oral Research Project, Skyline College
Actionists Returning
Click here to read to read the research essay, “Return from the Dark side”, by Stefanie Nuez Beran
Click on the links below to hear audio segments from
an October 30th 2005
interview
by Stefanie Nuez Beran with Mel and
Mel and Belle Orpilla
Table
of Contents:
1. Belle’s Past
2. Mel’s Past
4. PYC Vallejo and working
with Young People
5. Mel and Bell’s
Views
6. History, Colonial
Mentality, and Education
7. Filipino Culture: Then
and Now
9. We had Fun
This section is about Belle and her expirences growing up in a
traditional Filipino family.
Were you born in America? (47 KB)
How did you view Filipinos while you were growing up? (82 KB)
Did your parents have a specific career they wanted you to
go to? (398 KB)
Belle is presenting a congratulatory certificate to Pastor Jalapit
of the
Mel is the third generation
born and raised in
Have you ever been faced with discrimination? (459 KB)
How was it like growing up? (182 KB)
NO CLUBS! What did you do to try to fit in? (186 KB)
What was the grant you wrote for Vallejo and what is it
about? (404 KB)
Why did you publish this grant? (392 KB)
How was it like being a teen dad? (203 KB)
What made you change? (186 KB)
How did you get into Sac State? (295 KB)
How did your parents feel about college? (360 KB)
Getting together, falling in love and you know the rest.
How did you two meet? (287 KB)
Mel: “I had to decolonize her from her parents.” (298 KB)
Their role models (418 KB)
What do they get out of community work (275 KB)
Mel and Belle’s Wedding 1994
Mel’s Sons starting Left:
Tony and Jake
(Orpilla)
PYC Vallejo
and working with Young People
This is the
Beginings of a Youth Oganization that Mel and
How did you start PYC and what is it? (193 KB)
How
did parents react to PYC? (247 KB)
How does PYC impact the families of the participants? (112 KB)
What makes Project 68 different from other prevention
programs? (404 KB) Sociometrics Project #68 Documents
Are all activist adults? (109 KB)
Mel: “That’s what youth empowerment is.” (125 KB)
How do you get leaders out of PYC? (166 KB)
Belle: “One of the most common struggles…” (174 KB)
What are your hopes for the future of PYC participants? (126 KB)
Do you see some participants out side of programs? (155 KB)
Has any participant made an impact on you? (162 KB)
Are you two going to continue with PYC? (51 KB)
PYC students using teamwork
to build a pyramid.
PYClinic August 2004
(PYC)
This is their aphorisoms,
take on life and t-shirts?
Defining themselves (250 KB)
A Couple “On A Mission” (92 KB)
Believing in Yourself (66 KB)
Mentors (85 KB)
Rediscovering Filipino Heritage (193 KB)
Abercrombie & Fitch Shirts (223 KB)
The Infamous Abercrombie
Shirts
History,
Colonial Mentality, and Education
Does not knowing the past affect a persons future? (159 KB)
How can we past on the Filipino American History? (125 KB)
Do some Filipinos fall under certain character behavior?
(233 KB)
Can these Mentalities be dangerous? (276 KB)
How was your experience with “Elite” Filipinos? (181 KB)
Do other ethnicities have a colonial mentality?
(131 KB)
How deep is colonial mentality?
(134 KB)
Is there a cure to colonial mentality?
(71 KB)
How do you feel when a Filipino person doesn’t know about Filipino American History?
(155 KB)
Do you think Filipino American History will be included in
history books? (442 KB)
(The Forbiden Book page 64)
Filipino Culture: Then and Now
Belle: “Did you see his tattoo?” (448 KB)
Have you had conversation with random people about your
tattoo? (173 KB)
Do other people see tattoos as art?
(96 KB)
When did you get your tattoo?
(91 KB)
Do you think the tradition of the debut has been warped like
in Ms. Lolan’s story? (178 KB)
Page
10 Of Translating New Brown By Ms.
Lolan Buhain Sevilla
I feel so sheltered after hearing your story (337 KB)
Does culture have an effect on someone’s behavior? (71 KB)
The arm on the
left has his name in Alibata to Centipede legs.
The arm on the
right is the Cordiella Mountian symbol to theBulul.
The Center is
Mel with a front view of his tattoos.
(Orpilla)
Do you two feel awkward when seem to be the only Filipinos
in a room of people? (319 KB)
Belle: “We’re not only in the Filipino circles…”
(98 KB)
Do you feel like you need to do more?
(94 KB)
Do you see yourselves as an impact to the community?
(298 KB)
Belle you’re a field representative, do you know if there
are bills involving Filipino Americans?
(496 KB)
Belle, why do you think Vallejo is unique?
(179 KB)
Mel, you titled a chapter of your book “The Model Filipino Community” why? (404 KB)
Is there a difference to Filipino families in San Francisco
and Vallejo? (287 KB)
Mel’s Book
I Know that Wooden Fork and Spoon (31 KB)
Belle: “That’s Old Me!”
(51 KB)
Where did her never worn clothes go?
(21 KB)
Who doesn’t talk to their family pet? (27 KB)
The Wonders of TEVO Hello Desperate Housewives and Amazing
Rice? (203 KB)
Belle: “Put that in your report!”
(104KB)
Image sources:
Bahug Background: http://www.tribo.org/textures/index2.html
Congratulatory Cirtificate: http://www.lexsus.org/uccv/main.html
Orpilla Family pictures: http://www.orpilla.com/
PYC Pyramid: http://www.pycvallejo.org/features/galleries/index.htm
Abercrombie
Shirts: http://www.aa2sbu.org/aaezine/indexVol1No10.shtml
*These audio
files may be played with Windows Media Player or Real Player.
To download a free copy of Windows Media Player, click here.
To download a free copy
of Real Player, click here.
last
revised: 12-20-05
by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
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