AAPI Story Series | Couple Finds Love Through Communication, Education and Cultural Differences
Originally posted on June 1, 2021. Updated on May 23, 2022.
It was love at first sign. The moment Lily Mendoza and Jim Perkinson met at a conference, they each knew they’d found their life partner, and since getting their life together as activists and educators have been full and rich, yet embedded with its own cultural complexities.
Mendoza, who was born and raised as a pastor’s child in the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, came to America for graduate school in 1995. When she arrived, she began her work on the indigenization movement in the Philippine Academy and on Philippine diaspora in the United States.
“And so, that started my decolonization process, which is still ongoing after I met (Jim),” Mendoza said. Today, she’s a professor of culture and communication at Oakland University and the executive director of the Center for Babaylan Studies, as well as an author who’s penned “Between the Homeland and the Diaspora: The Politics of Theorizing Filipino and Filipino American Identities,” and “Back from the Crocodile’s Belly: Philippine Babaylan Studies and the Struggle for Indigenous Memory.”
Perkinson, who’s also a professor and a poet, grew up in Cincinnati and migrated to Detroit in 1974 “to be part of a Christian community experience on the (city’s) East side,” he said. Being a member of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah for 15 years allowed Perkinson to learn about Detroit, and the people and cultures that call it home, through a different lens.
Now, nearly two decades after getting married, the couple sits at Belle Isle Park and reminisces about when they first met, the poem Perkinson wrote that won Mendoza’s heart, the cultural backgrounds they’ve had to learn about each other and what it’s been like building a life together in Detroit.
Watch Now:
Lily and Jim Reminisce on When They First Met and Jim’s Poem
Lily and Jim reminisce about when they first met, the poem Jim wrote that won Lily’s heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypWCyCwQe5I
Lily Recounts Her First Time in Detroit
Lily reminisces about meeting Jim’s friends for the first time and what stuck out to her about Detroit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o26GjxxUu9Y
Reflecting on Kapwa and the Importance of Food in Filipino Culture
Lily and Jim talk about how they’ve navigated the differences between their cultures throughout their relationship and what they’re still learning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_dznuM8PKA
Lily and Jim Discuss the Term Asian American
Lily shares why she identifies as a diasporic Filipina.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SRt4B0FNwc
About this Project:
For AAPI Heritage month, in partnership with WDET, Detroit PBS is amplifying the voices of Southeast Michigan’s AAPI community by inviting them to have meaningful conversations and sharing their stories all throughout the year. Introductions for this story are produced by Dorothy Hernandez, WDET.
[et_pb_button button_url=”https://www.detroitpbs.org/aapi/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”View More AAPI Stories ” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Stay Connected
Subscribe to One Detroit’s YouTube Channel & Don’t miss One Detroit Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our website, Facebook, Twitter @DPTVOneDetroit, and Instagram @One.Detroit
View Past Episodes >
Watch One Detroit every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit Public TV on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Stay Connected
Subscribe to One Detroit’s YouTube Channel and don’t miss One Detroit on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our website, Facebook, Twitter @OneDetroit_PBS, and Instagram @One.Detroit
Watch One Detroit Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.
Related Posts
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*