What is Filipino American History Month?

Alameda County Library invites you to celebrate Filipino American History Month (FAHM) with us this October!

Blog post by the Fil-Am History Month team - Janine, Meliza, & Noelle 

Fil-Am History Month is celebrated in October to honor the first recorded Filipinos to land in what is now the United States. The Luzones Indios, who were sailors aboard Spanish galleons, first arrived on the land of the Chumash people^[1] (what is now also known as Morro Bay, CA) on October 18, 1587.^[2] (It should be noted that this landing was far from innocent exploration and trade, instead involving the attempt to colonize the area under Spanish rule.)^[3] The Filipino American National Historical Society first started celebrating FAHM in 1992, with Congress formally recognizing October as Filipino American History Month in 2009.^[4]

Today, we honor Fil-Am History Month by remembering the struggles, reconciling the mistakes, and celebrating the triumphs of Fil-Am communities of the past; enjoying the richness of Filipinx, Fil-Am, and the larger Filipinx diaspora cultures of the present moment; and empowering Filipinx-Americans to build bright and just futures.

Read below to learn more about how you can celebrate Fil-Am History Month.

Celebrate FAHM with Alameda County Library

There are several ways to celebrate Fil-Am History Month with us.

Call our Listen Inn line and listen to a Filipino folktale in Tagalog. The story will be available on October 9^th.

Magkuwentuhan tayo! Join us on October 31^st at 1 PM for online Tagalog-English storytime where we will read aloud bilingual books, sing Filipino nursery rhymes, and make crafts. Registration is required to receive the storytime’s Zoom link.

Looking to read from more Fil-Am writers? Check out these staff recommendations.

• The Woman Who Had Two Navels and Tales of the Tropical Gothic by Nick Joaquin

• America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo

• How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo

• Manila Noir by Jessica Hagedorn

• The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata by Gina Apostol

• Flamer by Mike Curato

• Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

• After Lambana: A Graphic Novel: Myth and Magic in Manila by Eliza Victoria

• Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

• Si Taho at Si Balut by Annie Pacana-Lumbao

• Si Gilas, Ang Haring Agila by Jomike Tejido   

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Learn how to cook two types of Filipino lugaw, or porridge: the savory arroz caldo, and the sweet, chocolatey champorado. Follow along Ate Meliza’s recipes and cooking demonstration on the AC Library Youtube channel.

FAHM throughout the Bay Area and beyond

There are even more ways to celebrate Fil-Am History Month throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Check out these programs and resources for more ways to celebrate FAHM.

• Learn about Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in Union City, CA, the first school in the United States to be named after Filipino Americans.^[5] The school is named after Fil-Am agricultural labor leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz.
• Register for History, Memory, and the Artistic Imagination. This webinar will be on October 5^th at 5:30 PM and is a conversation between prominent Fil-Am writers Gina Apostol and Jessica Hagedorn and will be moderated by Dr. Fritzie de Mata.
• Attend the 6^th Annual Filipino American International Book Festival from October 15^th-16^th at the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch and explore the writings of contemporary Fil-Am and Filipinx authors.
• Visit the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center to connect with Fil-Am artwork, and explore other cultural programs offered by SOMA Pilipinas.
• Read the Asian Art Museum’s guide to celebrating Filipino American History Month, which includes printable activities, recipes, digital art collections, and more.
• Browse through the UC Davis Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies website, which contains a rich repository of resources on Filipinx American history, experiences, and scholarship.

^[1] “Chumash people” Wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_people

^[2] “About Filipino American History Month,” Filipino American National Historical Society, http://fanhs-national.org/filam/about/

^[3] Mercene, Floro L, “Chapter 5: The First Filipinos in America,” pp. 40-41, Manila Men in the New World (2007)

^[4] “About Filipino American History Month,” Filipino American National Historical Society, http://fanhs-national.org/filam/about/

^[5] Guillermo, Emil, “California School to Bear Names of Filipino-American Labor Leaders Itliong, Vera Cruz,” NBC News, Dec 18, 2015.