Filipino Americans set standard for fitting in Series: Americans, too. Despite their diversity, Asian-American communities in the Chicago area are just beginning to explore ways to pursue common goals. Second in a series NORTH SPORTS FINAL, C Edition

• Published in: Chicago tribune (1963)
• Main Author: Desiree Chen and Ronald E. Yates. Michael Hirsley and Elaine T. Matsushita contributed to this story
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, Ill Tribune Publishing Company, LLC 27.04.1992
• ISSN: 1085-6706

Asian Americans feel opposing tides swirling around them. One current carries them across old enmities toward pan-Asian solidarity, another urges retreat to the safety of their individual cultures, and a third demands a just place in the larger American society, where many Asian Americans still do not feel welcome. Even though many have been in the United States for generations, few of the 15 major cultures under the umbrella of Asian American Heritage Month in Illinois seem to feel as comfortable here as the Filipino Americans, the largest group, who estimate their numbers at 100,000 in the Chicago area. (The 1990 census found only about 60,000.) "For Japanese Americans, the biggest change since World War II has been the general acceptance and recognition that we are Americans," said Morimitsu, president of the Japanese American Service Committee and co-founder of the Japanese American Council, an umbrella group of six major organizations serving the Japanese American community in Chicago.