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COVER STORY: A Brief Look at Filipino American History
A Brief Look at Filipino American History
By Mary Jeneverre Schultz
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The month of October celebrates the first time Filipinos entered the United States through California in 1587.
As the third-largest Asian ethnic group in the country, Filipinos or Pinoys have migrated in several different waves during their centuries long history in the US.
“Through grassroot advocacies and campaigns of various Filipino American organizations and allies, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) established Filipino American History Month in 1992,” said Giselle Rushford of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. “Then in 2009, through the same community lobbying efforts, Congress declared the month of October officially as Filipino American History Month in the U.S.”
Let’s look at history.
“Filipinos were among the first Asians to set foot in the Americas,” said Dr. William Wei, state historian and professor at University of Colorado in Boulder. “They and Chinese sailors worked on the Manila galleons that had sailed between Manila, Philippines and Acapulco, Mexico from 1565 to 1815. Several of them had settled in Acapulco by the late 16th century.
Journalist Lisa Ling reveals through the premiere episode of HBO’s “Take Out with Lisa Ling” that Filipinos were the first Asian settlement, inventing the shrimp industry in the bayous of Louisiana.
“Filipinos, known as ‘Manilamen,’ living in the marshlands of Louisiana’s Barataria Bay, about 30 miles south of New Orleans, during the 18th century were descendants of sailors, who had worked on the Manila galleon,” said Dr Wei. “They fought at the famous Battle of New Orleans (January 8, 1815) during the War of 1812.”
While Spain ruled the Philippines for more than 300 years, the U.S. colonized the island country. Dr. Wei shares how the U.S. took over.
“The Philippines-American War is sometimes known as America’s first Vietnam,” Dr. Wei said. “The United States annexed the Philippines following the Spanish-American War, and Filipinos fought to achieve their independence from foreign domination. American forces engaged in a ruthless counterinsurgency to suppress Filipino guerrillas.”
Huge migration to the US can be traced during the 1920s, when borders opened for professionals such as nurses, accountants, and engineers. “Filipinos migrated to the United States in large numbers to work to support their families back in the Philippines,” said Dr. Wei.
Sending boxes of American goods became an annual tradition during the holidays. These boxes were known as the ‘Balikbayan Box.’ Most times, they contained cosmetics, footwear, canned food of Spam, corned beef, and Vienna sausages.
There is no middle class in the Philippines, only rich or poor classes in the country of thousands of islands.
“Growing up in the Philippines and witnessing my family struggle and work hard for everything gave me the foundation for tenacity and the drive to be and do better,” said Sheilah Troiano, entrepreneur of Foxy Flower. “The strength to keep going in the face of challenges and failures I certainly attribute to my mother’s quiet resolve. Now living in the US, I appreciate all the opportunities that come my way -- be it having a great career or starting my own business, I am mindful about the fact that not every Filipino is given that opportunity.”
Most Filipinos arrived in Hawaii and California to work in agriculture, primarily on fruit and vegetable farms.
“Filipino migrant laborers were some of the most militant farm workers in Hawaii and the American mainland,” said Dr. Wei. “Under the leadership of Phillip Vera Cruz, who founded the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, merged the National Farm Workers Association to form the famous United Farm Workers. In the UFW, Vera Cruz and the Filipinos were as important as Cesar Chavez and the Mexicans, though they never received the same recognition.”
Filipino Americans are taking a stance and want their history taught in social studies and U.S. history. In fact,
Notable Settlements The American Dream
Learning the History
Marissa Halagao is paving the way for the development of the Filipino Curriculum Project in Hawaii, along with other high school student leaders. They successfully lobbied for their state legislators to pass a resolution to implement an elective social studies course on Filipino Americans.
“I will continue to support those who are advancing Filipino American Studies,” said Rachele C. Espiritu, managing partner of Change Matrix based in Denver. Espiritu is the aunt of Halagao.
Other community leaders are also hoping for change.
Local Filipinas are sharing their culture and heritage to their children.
“In October, I plan to continue my own learning about the stories of my past by spending time with my parents and relatives and encouraging my own children to ask questions,” Espiritu said.
For others, celebration should not just be in October. “We should lead our lives imparting our collective experience and wisdom to our descendants,” Rushford said.
According to Pew Research, as of 2021, there were 4.2 million Filipino Americans, making them the third largest Asian ethnic group in the US after Chinese (5.4 million) and Asian Indians (4.6 million).
“They constitute 19 percent of the nation’s Asian Pacific population and 13 percent of Colorado’s Asian Pacific population,” said Dr. Wei.
In Colorado, the Filipino community is growing with several Filipino community organizations and businesses, mainly in Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs. Learn more about the organizations and their work to share Filipino culture.
“Filipinos have much to celebrate, and I hope that others will take the time to participate in activities and events that celebrate the significant role that Filipinos have played and will continue to play in America,” said Espiritu.
FILIPINO ORGANIZATIONS IN COLORADO
Celebrate Filipino American History Month with these organizations by:
participating in a fundraiser or event, donating to their cause or joining the organization as a member.
Filipino American Community of Southern Colorado
FACSC raises awareness of the Filipino culture in southern Colorado.
fb.com/filamsoutherncolorado
Global Seed Savers
GSS collaborates with many of the 110 ethnolinguistic Indigenous Peoples groups and non-indigenous peoples of the Philippines
globalseedsavers.org
Filipino American Community of Colorado
FACC is the oldest Asian American organization in Colorado, established in 1954.
colorado-filipinos.org
Mending Faces
Mending Faces was founded by a group of medical professionals and others to make a life-changing difference for children with facial deformities in the Philippines and around the world.
mendingfaces.org
National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region V
NaFFAA promotes the welfare and well-being of the four million Filipinos and Filipinos throughout the US. (Region V includes Colorado)
naffaaregion5.org
Northern Colorado Filipino American Association
Serving Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland, this organization is dedicated to combining understanding and appreciation of the great cultures through history, arts, and communication.
teres2009.tripod.com/NCFAA/pages
Philippine Nurses Association of Colorado
The goal of PNACO is to provide an organization that enhances image, professionalism, and unity to foster the welfare of Filipino nurses in Colorado.
fb.com/groups/pnaco
Philippine American Society of Colorado
Based in Aurora, PASCO is dedicated to cultivating, preserving, promoting and sharing the Philippines culture and heritage through educational and cultural opportunities that would enrich and enhance the lives of its members.
phil-amsocietycolorado.org
Pinoy Pals
This group assists those looking for Filipino culture by sharing the culture, language, music, family values and taste authentic Filipino food.
meetup.com/pinoypals
Sibol: Filipino Student Association
Sibol is a student organization at CU-Denver intent on creating a community of service.
fb.com/groups/203852969713143
Uplift Internationale
UI aims to give a lifechanging gift to children with facial deformities by mending faces... one child at a time.
upliftinternationale.org
