FIL-AM HISTORY MONTH: White House celebrates Filipino American History Month

'STAND UP AND BE PROUD TO BE PINOY"

Filipino American Trailblazers at the White House on Sept. 30, from left to right: Cristeta Comerford, White House Executive Chef, Apl.de.ap, co-founder of the Black Eyed Pease; Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura, singer; Geena Rocero, model/founder of Gender Proud; Jo Koy, comedian; Ronnie del Carmen, co-director at Pixar Animation Studios and moderator Billy Dec, member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA proclaimed October as Filipino American Heritage Month. He invited prominent Filipino Americans to the a conference at the White House.

"Generations of Filipino Americans have lent their unique voices to the vibrant diversity of origins, cultures and communities, that make  American what it is," said Obama in a statement read at the White House event, which hosted the event for the first-time, a history-making moment in itself.

“Seventy years ago, the United States and our allies overcame forces of tyranny and oppression that threatened not only the Pacific but the entire world—a victory made possible in part by thousands of Filipino-Americans who fought for our nation but who for far too long were denied the compensation they had earned,” the President said.

"Fifty years ago, courageous farm workers in Delano helped bring about progress that would forever change the labor movement," he said, "both within the Filipno-American community and for our country as a whole."

“You know, it’s a good indicator that you’ve arrived when you don’t only have your own month but that the White House is saying they want to celebrate it, too,” said Nani Coloretti, the keynote speaker who is the highest ranking Filipino-American in the Obama administration. Coloretti is deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Its important to acknowledge your roots, said the Maui-born and raised Coloretti. Her grandfather was a labor organizer in the sugar cane industry.

Nani Coloretti

The Filipino American National Historical Society announced that the theme of this year’s celebration would be “1965: Tipping Point for the Filipino American Community” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of three momentous events, the organization’s national president Mel Orpilla said. In 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed and Filipino farm workers (Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and many more manongs) lead the Delano Grape Strike. Additionally, at that time, Filipino American men were either enlisting in the military or fighting in the Vietnam War.

The three-hour event at the White House included a panel of "trailblazers." Its worth your time to listen to the hour-long video below. There are lots of tidbits, information and inspiration from these standouts in their respective professions. 

“As a community we need to collaborate, reach out, and not be ashamed to represent our culture,” Apl said.

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A new generation of Filipino Americans flex political muscles

Countering the submissive, quiet, passive stereotype

THE POLITICAL SCENE for Filipino Americans has changed dramatically since I covered U.S. politics for the San Francisco-based Philippine News.

Whereas in the 1970s and 1980s the editors and writers of the weekly Filipino-American newspaper used to search high and low for Filipino candidates at any level of government, now there is a plethora of politically-inclined candidates throwing their hats in the ring throughout the country.

I'm sure there are Filipino Republicans, but the vast majority of Filipino Americans are registered as Democrats and the Democratic party has done more to make them feel welcome. The inclination towards Democrats could be attributed to the historical ties Filipinos have had with organized labor in the 1930s through the present time.  From farmworkers and cannery workers to today's hospital workers and technicians, educators and high-tech workers, unions have represented the interests of working Filipinos. 

Their presence and influence in party politics and policy has grown beyond their actual numbers so much so that the Democrats have made them part of their political apparatus in California and Hawaii.

Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, was reelected to the
 California Assembly. One of his first bills was legislation
to require teaching of the contributions of Filipino
Americans to the farm labor movement.

The Filipino American Democratic Caucus has a list of the Fil-Am Democrats in California who won in last November's elections. It lists not just the elected politicians, but also the people who have joined the local Democratic district committees. A good strong list of leaders and leaders-to-be.

The California Democratic Party is currently conducting the "Research Filipino Leaders (RFL) Project" which is a database collection of all Filipino American elected and appointed officials in the State of California that range from the state, county and local levels of government.

Even though the first Filipino touched California soil in 1587, as crew members of a  Spanish galleon, large numbers of Filipinos didn't arrive in the state until the early 20th century. Politically, Filipino Americans lagged behind their Japanese and Chinese brothers and sisters. It was not until the 1960s when Filipinos made a push for political recognition.

Today, the seeds planted in the 60s, nurtured by subsequent waves of new immigrants are starting to bear fruit for California's Filipino American community. One of the first bills introduced by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, who represents a diverse district in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay) made it mandatory for teaching the contributions of Filipino farmworkers to the California labor movement. Not surprising since he comes from a family of farmworkers.

The influx of immigrants from all over Asia including India, Vietnam and Korea, have augmented the older Chinese, Japanese and Filipino communities and have made Asian Americans a demographic too valuable to ignore.

There are still a ways to go but the new generation of politically active Filipino Americans is a harbinger of what to expect in the near future as the younger Filipinos who earned their experience in local political and issue-oriented campaigns begin to test the political waters.

Democracy is not the most efficient form of government; sometimes it's a messy business; sometimes it's loud and chaotic and sometimes it moves at glacier-like speed. In order for our democracy to work, ordinary people need to get involved at all levels, from local advisory commissions, elected school boards and city councils to state legislators on up to the federal level. 

Democracy is not a spectator sport. It demands participation. What President Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address still stands true. Our nation is based on the foundational principle of a "government by the people, of the people and for the people."

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