In the Filipino language Tagalog, the term “Balikbayan” means to return to one’s town. With more than 7000 miles separating Los Angeles from the Philippines’ capital city of Manila, returning to their roots is a long trip for Filipinos. But while issues in the Philippines seem far away, they also reach Filipino Americans in the United States, even students at UCLA.

Samahang Pilipino and the Cultural Affairs Commission have joined together to organize “Empowerment: An Exhibition of Pilipino American Strength,” an art gallery focusing on the strength within the Filipino American community.

As part of Filipino American History Month, the exhibition features photography, paintings, multimedia assemblages and drawings that reflect upon the Filipino culture.

“We decided on the theme of ‘Empowerment’ because the Pilipino community … oftentimes gets caught up in our community struggles, such as justice for Pilipino American veterans, financial literacy, identity … being immigrants or first generation students in America,” said fourth-year sociology student and CAC art series director Donnaly Natividad.

Running through this Sunday, the exhibition in Kerckhoff’s Art Gallery will feature installments that include the work of UCLA students and artists within the Los Angeles area. According to Natividad, many of the displays come from people who are involved in advocacy and activism work for the Filipino community.

“The artists … draw their strength from their community and the idea of interdependence in the face of struggle. Love, friendship and the beauty of our journey are also common motifs,” Natividad said. “The art of expression and the ability to have a voice through art is another mode from which our artists draw their strength.”

The gallery will also include an interactive art piece that features a tree where attendees record their sources of strength on its leaves and display it for others to see.

“The interactive art piece … consists of a tree sculpture made from various colored wires, representing our roots, history and who we grow into as a people,” Natividad said “We hope to have a tree and community full of strength that can withstand any struggle that comes our way.”

At last week’s reception, guest speaker Rochelle Pellicer discussed the “Balikbayan Renaissance” experience, a term which was coined to explain the artistic revolution of younger generations of the Filipino diaspora, according to Natividad.

“(It was also coined) to combat the Philippines’ ‘brain drain,’ when many highly educated Pilipinos left the homeland in search of a better life elsewhere, thus draining the Philippines of valuable resources which could aid in advancing society,” Natividad said.

Third-year Asian American studies student and Samahang Pilipino president Mallory Valenzuela said the “Balikbayan Renaissance” is about Filipino Americans’ feelings of returning to their home and the reinvigoration of the Filipino identity afterwards.

Edgar Chee, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student and Samahang Pilipino member, said that the exhibition caters to more than just those of Filipino heritage and that the experiences and stories showcased in the exhibition can influence anyone willing to listen.

“The stories cater to many different people, whether the story is about the journey one takes overseas to help their family, the steps one takes to feed their children or the advice one uses to keep their family together. It’s all relevant,” Chee said.

Valenzuela also said that, along with the struggles faced within the Filipino community, another key point of the exhibition is that Filipinos take pride in their ability to persevere through the obstacles.

“We must take ownership in empowering ourselves, and this is represented in the art gallery – not letting anyone tell our own personal narratives,” Valenzuela said.