Taken from the soul-shaking anthology, Pinay Power.  If you need a definition of “Pinay,” use the FAQ page.

“Peminism describes Filipina American consciousness, theory, and culture, with the p signifying specifically Pinay or Pilipina, terms used in referring to ourselves as American-born Filipinas.  It demarcates the space for Filipina American struggles…Peminism thereby signifies the assertion of a specifically Filipina American subjectivity, one that radically refudiates white feminist hegemony…Most important, peminism is about loving ourselves and other Pinays, loving our families and communities.  Indeed, peminism is an inextricable part of our decolonization as a people: far from being a slighting of Filipino American men or Filipino American culture in general, attention to Pinay voices and perspectives demonstrates our commitment to the liberation of all Filipinos.”

And another important tid-bit of information about the Filipino/Pilipino culture:

“Linguistically, the f sound derives from the Spanish colonizers that named the islands “Las Islas Filipinas” (after Philip of Spain); the American takeover of the islands in 1898 reinforced the imposition of the f sound via the Anglicizing of that term to “The Philippine Islands.” – Melinda de Jesus, Pinay Power, pg 5.

Get it?  See why history is important?  The sound, the letter F didn’t exist until the country was colonized.  According to Anthony Pido, “None of the seven major linguistic groups in the Philippines have an ‘f’ sound; the people refer to their country as Pilipinas and themselves as Pilipino.” – Pinay Power, pg 14.

Mabuhay!