Angelino AF (Asian Flavor)

The Autry Museum is definitely my favorite museum in Los Angeles. I love that it focuses on the history and cultures of the American West, with a strong emphasis on Native peoples and the history of California. I decided to become a member, and while they have many wonderful exhibits, one temporary exhibition that I could visit over and over again is “Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles.”

I am 100% Filipino, but I also now consider myself an Angeleno. I may not be native to this place, but Los Angeles has shaped me—and continues to shape me—as I journey through life.

The exhibit is wonderful because it tells the story of Los Angeles and how the city was shaped by different cultures, peoples, and waves of migration. Native Californians lived on this land for thousands of years before their lives and communities were profoundly disrupted when the Spanish arrived and colonization began under the mission system.

The changes did not stop when Mexico took control of California and secularized the missions. They became even more significant when California eventually became part of the United States. From there, people from different states and from all over the world journeyed to Los Angeles in search of opportunity and a better life. But that journey also came with a cost.

I often tell people that I both love and hate Los Angeles. But I can never deny one thing: Los Angeles saved me.

Like so many people who come here from other countries, I have experienced how difficult life in this city can be. Los Angeles can be expensive, overwhelming, and sometimes hostile. But despite all of that, I can honestly say that the positives have outweighed the negatives for me.

And one of the things that has given me a deeper sense of belonging is learning the history—not only of Los Angeles, but of California as a whole.

I believe that if you choose to live here, you should make an effort to understand the place you now call home. For me, learning the history of Los Angeles and California is not just interesting; it is a way of showing respect to the people and cultures that were here long before me.

We have to understand the past in order to understand the present. And by understanding the past, we can hopefully make better choices and use that knowledge as a guide toward the future.