In what was the biggest defeat of American military history, there was a disproportionately large number of Filipino deaths. Disproportionate to the gravity of such massive losses, Bataan Street NW is one of the shortest streets in Washington DC.
Between October 9-14, 2022, marking the days the Bataan Death March took place 80 1/2 years prior, I made a continuous graphite rubbing of Bataan Street’s public sidewalk, curb to curb, crossing N St. NW and back again.
I used newsprint from the Washington Post printing plant. Research through the DC Public Library uncovered a total of 25 articles published between 1942 and 1946 in the Post that only briefly mention the Fall of Bataan or the Death March, mostly lauding the heroics of General MacArthur with no mention of the massive loss of Filipinos’ lives. This presents yet another disproportion.
First person oral history about the Bataan Death March, transcribed on the sidewalk outside the Philippine Embassy, Bataan Street NW, Washington DC (1 of 4)
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Portion of an oral history transcription from a conversation with a retired Filipino American general
Bataan Street NW is the cross street of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC. On the final day of the ritual commemoration, the artist made a rubbing of the embassy seal.