I am proud to be Filipino American I am proud of the rich history of the Filipino American community in Pennsylvania and the United States. Of the 260,000 Filipino and Filipino American soldiers only 15,000-16,000 remain.įilipino Americans are an incredibly resilient people and have contributed greatly to the cultural and social fabric of Pennsylvania and the United States.
These soldiers fought with bravery and distinction and should be officially recognized for their honorable and courageous service to our country with the Congressional Gold Medal.
One issue that many members of the Filipino American community are currently advocating for is greater recognition for the 260,000 Filipino soldiers who fought beside American soldiers to defend the United States during World War II. At times it can be difficult to figure out where we fit within the larger context of our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Because of this, many Filipino Americans have Spanish last names. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines in 1521 and declared the country a colony of the Spanish Empire. Read Governor Tom Wolf’s proclamation, recognizing October 2016 as Filipino American History Month in Pennsylvania.īut what does it truly mean to be Filipino American? Filipino Americans are an incredibly vibrant and diverse ethnic group. Congress passed resolutions officially recognizing October as Filipino American History Month. The Filipino American National Historical Society established Filipino American History Month in 1988, and in November 2009, the 111th U.S. Check out the California chapters of the Filipino American National Historical Society.October marks National Filipino American History Month, honoring the first documented presence of Filipinos in the United States: the arrival of the Luzones Indios in what is now Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.NEA recognized Filipino-American educators at the Joint Conference of Concerns of Minorities and Women last summer.They speak a wide array of Philippine languages such as Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano, and Kapampangan, among many others. There are now about four million Filipino Americans in the United States, approximately 1.5% of the country’s population. On September 9, 2009, the California State Assembly voted to “designate the month of October 2009, and every October thereafter, as Filipino American History Month.” The bill was introduced by former Senator Leland Yee with Senators Carol Liu, Pat Wiggins (now deceased) and Lois Wolk as co-authors. In California, Filipino American History Month was first recognized statewide in 2006, when the California Department of Education placed it on its celebrations calendar. In California (and in Hawaii), where a large number of Filipino Americans reside, Filipino American History Month is widely celebrated.Ī pivotal year was 2006, which marked the centennial celebration of Filipino migration to the United States. The Filipino American National Historical Society established Filipino American History Month in the year 1988. The earliest documented proof of Filipino presence in the continental United States was on October 18, 1587, when the first “Luzones Indios” set foot in Morro Bay, California.įilipino American History Month is celebrated in the United States during the month of October.
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