Online news outlets stumble on the question: Are Filipino Americans Asian enough?

R'Bonney Gabriel, a proud Filipino American, was crowned Miss Universe.

OPINION

I found it deeply troubling that major online news outlets don't consider Filipino Americans to be part of the Asian American community.

The question arises: Is R'Bonney Gabriel, a Filipino American who just won the Miss Universe title, Asian enough?

Apple News didn't think that the Filipino American Miss Universe was not worthy
to include under the Asian American banner (top). However, the story was the top story on
the search for Filipino American news (bottom).

I don't mean to be a nitpicker, but today (Jan. 19, 2022), I did online searches on Google News, Apple News and NBC under "Asian Americans" and there was no mention of R'Bonney Gabriel, the current Miss USA  also winning the title of Miss Universe Saturday night. It is odd because Gabriel made sure to mention her Filipino heritage in the interviews after winning the crown.

I checked the online news sources under "Filipino Americans" and Gabriel's historic feat of being the first Filipino American to be named Miss Universe was the top story for Google and Apple. I scrolled down to the bottom and  the Gabriel's accomplishment was not included at all.

Apparently NBC doesn't separate the different AANHPI communities. and include all of them under the title of "Asian America." However, NBC did include Gabriel's victory among its main news stories but, curiously, did not include the story in its "Asian America" page.

The Google News page for Filipino Americans had the Miss Universe winner as its top story (top photo) but the Asian American page (bottom) omitted the accomplishment entirely.

I'm not sure why, but Filipino Americans have always been difficult for East Asians to accept as Asian American because they often don't fit the East Asian stereotype: Filipinos are the second or third largest Asian subgroup in the United States, depending on your source; Filipino are predominantly Roman Catholic; English is practically a second national language; their government is modeled after the United States since it was US's only Asian colony.

And there has always been that annoying question: "Are Filipinos Asian or are they Pacific Islanders?"

I'm being generous because I'm the forgiving-sort-of-guy, but maybe its the weekend crews working during the Martin Luther King Holiday. The holiday shift has always been given to those with the least seniority. They might not be as sensitive or knowledgeable as the regular crew about the AANHPI communities and the groups that fall under that umbrella. 

Or, it could be the news editors over the weekend didn't think a pageant title is worthy of news coverage. Sure the Miss Universe contest is not life-changing or violent as some of the other news stories. I can understand that rationale, but it might not be worthy of being the top story, but it surely should be second or third. When an Asian American breaks a racial barrier, even if it's just a pageant title, the historic event deserves some attention.

When a Filipino nurse goes on strike, or a Filipino singer wins a Grammy, or a Filipino wins a Nobel Prize, or a Filipino American is elected California's Attorney General, or a Filipino wins the Miss Universe title; all of those stories should not be limited to Filipino Americans, and other Asian Americans should recognize the barrier-shattering significance of that accomplishment.

For those who make those news judgements, their definition of who are Asian Americans need to be expanded beyond East Asians. While Filipino Americans generally don't like being confused with other Asians, there is the political and social aspect of living as minorities in this country that should unite us with other Asian American ethnicities and nationalities. Filipino Americans are Americans, but they are Asian Americans, too. To think otherwise, is an insult.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.