Illustrating our country’s broken promise to Filipino Americans
Under One Flag is a comprehensive online exhibition produced for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP). The exhibition explores the untold story of two nations—the United States and the Philippines—fighting together under the U.S. flag during WWII. It examines America’s broken promise to these veterans and their decades-long quest for benefits and recognition denied them.
To reach the next generation of online visitors, Night Kitchen Interactive partnered with Filipino-American comic artist Aria Villafranca to produce dozens of original illustrations and unique profile cards, bringing historic events and people to life. Next we enlisted a team of illustrators and animators to create ten animated stories based on oral histories and research completed by Night Kitchen and FilVetREP. Across a century of history, Under One Flag features first-hand accounts of living veterans, historians, and community advocates. It showcases archival photographs, films, and historical documents preserved as the wartime generation passes from the scene.
Video and text detail about Filipino history.
Working in consultation with veterans, history scholars, and activists, Night Kitchen produced the Under One Flag exhibition as a part of the award-winning Duty To Country project. In addition to Under One Flag, the 2020 phase of the project features an overview film and an oral history project. The 2021 phase includes the launch of a curriculum resource for educators and students, online resources for deeper research, and an online shop for FilVetREP. Future phases include a documentary film, a graphic novel and a traveling museum exhibition.
Both the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center continue to consult on the project.
Buzz
Congratulations all on a wonderful resource! Thank you for allowing Smithsonian to be a part of this, you should all be very proud.
Jennifer Jones, Curator/Project Director, Political and Military History Division, Smithsonian National Museum of American History
With an educational program now accessible for free, teachers and educators will have various resources to engage students in the story of Filipino and American veterans.
Asian Journal Press
The rich content of the curriculum tackles some of the biggest questions in world and U.S. history – war, empire, colonization, military service, racism, immigration, civil rights, and fight for racial justice.
