FilipinX American History Month
Celebrated in October, Filipino American (Fil-Am) History Month honors the history,
pursuits, accomplishments, and legacy of Filipinos in the United States. It also serves
to provide a link between Filipinos in the U.S. and Filipinos in the Philippines by
showcasing their shared culture and heritage.
"Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the nation and
the second largest ethnic group in California. The celebration of Filipino American
History Month in October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in
the continental United States, when Luzones Indios, native Filipino sailors conscripted
into the Spanish navy as labor during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, came ashore
from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro
Bay, California, on Oct. 18, 1587. After years of advocacy by individuals and organizations,
in 2009 the United States Congress recognized October as Filipino American History
Month. “
--From the Asian Art Museum Website (Celebrate Filipino American History Month | Asian Art Museum)
Good afternoon, NVC Colleagues,
On this day in 1587, “Luzones Indios” (the name that the Spanish colonizers used to
refer to the native people of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines) first
landed at what is now known as Morro Bay, California. Indigenous Filipinos served
as sailors on Spanish galleons transporting goods between Spanish colonies and from
the colonies to Spain. To learn more about the "Luzones Indios" who were sailors on
the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esparanza that landed in Morro Bay in 1587,
and the connections between Spanish colonization in the Philippines and Spanish colonization
in North America, see the following entry in the Filipino American National Historical
Society (FANHS) website:
https://fanhs10.com/history/luzones.html
We acknowledge this date, October 18, 1587, as the first recorded evidence of Filipinos
in North America and celebrate October as Filipinx American History Month, focusing
on the history, accomplishments and legacy of Filipinos in the United States.
The late Dr. Fred Cordova, along with his wife, FANHS Founder Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova,
first introduced Octoberas Filipino American History Month in 1992 with a resolution
from the Filipino American National Historical Society National Board of Trustees.
In 2009, U.S. Congress recognized October as Filipino American History Monthin the
United States.
Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the nation and the
third largest ethnic group in California, after those who identify as Latinx and African
American. Their heritage is a rich one, with many contributions to the US, including
their important role in advancing human rights and movements for equity and justice.
The 2024 theme for Filipinx American Heritage Month is “Struggle, Resistance, Solidarity,
and Resilience.” 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Hawaii Sugar Strike
during which Filipino migrants working on sugar plantations in Hawaii organized and
advocated for labor rights, including equitable pay. This organizing was met with
violent reprisals, yet the Filipinos active in this movement for social justice were
resilient. An important leader in the movement for labor rights on Hawaiian sugar
plantations was Pablo Manlapit, featured in the photo below.
To learn more about important moments in the Filipino struggle for equity and social
justice and important leaders in this movement, such as Pablo Manlapit, click on this
link.
Please join me in learning about, and celebrating, Filipinx struggle, resistance,
solidarity, and resilience.
In solidarity,
Patricia
References:
Filipino American National Historical Society
http://fanhs-national.org/filam/about-old/about/
Downloadable Zoom Backgrounds
Below are some high quality Zoom backgrounds you can download. Just right click them, and save them to your computer.
One of the Zoom backgrounds features the Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana (A Glorious History, A Golden Memory) mural in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, by the Filipino American artist, Eliseo Art Silva. This powerful mural honors many of the activists and leaders in the Filipinx American community. According to the L.A. Conservancy, “The design is organized in two parts: the first half (to the south) is historical, including the awakening of Filipino national and political consciousness. The second part (to the north) is dominated by a huge bird with significant Filipino Americans on its wings, farmworkers on the bottom, and youth and community members on the right. The mural was named one of the top 20 iconic murals in Los Angeles by L.A. Weekly.