As a graduate student strapped for cash, Anthony Ocampo thought he’d hit the jackpot when he came across a flier looking for Asian-Americans to participate in a research study.

The compensation for participating: $215.

He fit the requirements, or so he thought. He called for an appointment, but before he hung up, he mentioned he was Filipino and was denied.

Despite the ad advertising for Asian Americans, Ocampo was told they were looking for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean participants.

This scenario illustrates the premise of Ocampo’s new book, “The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race.”

Ocampo, a Cal Poly Pomona assistant professor and postdoctoral fellow at UC Riverside, explores how Filipinos in the U.S. have become an afterthought.

He interviewed more than 80 Filipino youth in Los Angeles suburbs.

He details how Filipino youth in L.A. – where Latinos and Asian Americans make up a collective majority – share a sense of identity with both Latinos and Asians, and notes how Filipinos played a central role in the creation of the Asian-American identity.

“I noticed that Filipinos sometimes felt like they didn’t feel fully Asian and sometimes they felt closer with Latinos. They felt a shared sense of peoplehood through things like food, religion, culture,” Ocampo said. “It made them feel like family.”

“If you assume Filipinos are just another Asian American group, you might miss they have this really cool connection with Latinos,” he added.

We asked Ocampo, 34, to discuss the influences of his book and how readers have reacted to his work:

Q: What kind of response are you getting so far?

A: The reaction has been great. I was at the Claremont Colleges and it was so touching because there were Filipino Americans in their last year of college that have never heard an academic talk on Filipinos. Students were in tears because it felt so great to have that space where we can talk about Filipino issues and prove to ourselves that we matter, that we deserve to be visible.

Q: How did your upbringing influence this book?

A: I grew up in Eagle Rock (a suburb in Los Angeles) where Filipino and Mexican-Americans are side by side. I was able to see the similarities between the two groups: culture, religion, and last names. It was just striking to me how when I got to college, I never had the opportunity to read about it in my classes. I wanted to write that story ever since I was a college kid – that shared history, that shared connection I knew was there.

Q: In your book, you found that Filipinos share historical and cultural connections with both Latinos and Asians. What’s the significance of this solidarity between Filipinos and Latinos?

A: Los Angeles is becoming a majority Latino city. These connections are important because if Filipinos ever want to have political power, if they want to make social change in their community, Latinos could be a great ally for helping them accomplish their goals because so many of their goals are similar … immigration, the places in which they congregate are very similar like the Catholic church. Being aware of these connections is beneficial for everyone in terms of helping community formation.

Q: You quote a woman saying, “Filipinos are the Mexicans of Asia.” How does this phrase capture the racial experiences of Filipinos?

A: The Mexicans of Asia show that they have strong connection to both groups. You have to voice that, otherwise you’re not understanding the whole picture of what it means to be Filipino. When you say Asian, you mostly think of east Asians: Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. When you say Mexicans of Asia, you’re referring to the legacies of Spanish colonialism, the impact of colonialism on their lives. That history is alive today.

Q: You write that to be Filipino is to be racially ambiguous. How has that affected the young adults you interviewed?

A: I think people are not able to deal with that level of racial complexity, which is why ethnic studies is really important to have in school … I think most Filipinos thought it was pretty cool that they can blend in anywhere. A lot of Filipinos describe themselves as racial chameleons. They have such a mixed culture … a lot of tools to relate to a diverse range of people.

Q: What have you learned from the attention your book is receiving?

A: Filipino Americans still want to be seen. They do what they can through their music, through art, through their professional jobs. I think Filipinos are really hungry to be a more visible presence in this country. I think they’re tired of being excluded.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9462 or amolina@pe.com