5 ways to celebrate Filipino-American History Month (FAHM)
Last updated: Sep. 2024Happy Filipino-American History Month!!
I am Filipino-American myself and think that this is a great way to learn more about Filipino-American history, and see how, we, as Filipinos, helped shape history.
Why We Celebrate
The first Filipinos documented to arrive in America was October 1587, so this is why we celebrate! They arrived in California, and this is our way of commemorating that. In fact, Filipino-Americans are the third-largest racial group in California.
Filipino-Americans have contributed a lot to America and it’s time we all understand the impact and struggles that we’ve endured throughout the years.
FAHM was first introduced in 1992 by the Filipino American National Historical Society and later recognized officially by Congress in 2006. Celebrations have only increased since then.
This year’s theme is “Struggle, Resistance, Solidarity, Resilience” (Filipino American National Historical Society, 2024). We recognize the struggle and resistance as the “various types of systematic oppression and violence that the Filipino American community has endured”(Filipino American National Historical Society, 2024) from discriminatory laws to hate violence. We recognize solidarity as our fight against injustice, and resilience as our successes at overcoming adversity despite the obstacles.
How to celebrate
There’s so many different ways to celebrate! Let’s look at how we can do that.
1. Education - History and Culture
Learning more about Filipino-American history and culture helps us understand the successes, but also struggles that Filipino-Americans have faced. There have been developments of three institutions that have helped recognize Filipino-Americans and ensure that our voices are heard. This includes: Filipino-American Studies (FAS), the Filipino-American National Historical Society (FANHS), and Filipino-American History Month (FAHM).
All of these initiatives allow Filipino-Americans to have a voice and to be recognized in history. It’s so important that our experiences are recognized and our history is told, especially considering we are a large ethnic group in the U.S.
In 2019, there were about 4.2 million Filipinos in the U.S. That’s hella Filipinos! The most populated states are California, New York, Hawaii, Nevada, and Illinois.
2. Food
Find your closest Filipino restaurant, especially if you reside in any of the states mentioned above (CA, NY, HI, NV, IL)!
One famous chain that you can visit is Jollibee, which just so happens to be the best chain fried chicken in the U.S. Filipino food is top tier and you cannot change my mind, so support your local Filipinos!
Click here for my favorite Filipino restaurants in the Bay Area.
3. Art
Perhaps the easiest way to learn more about Filipino-American History is through different art mediums, such as paintings, photography, books, music, dance, etc. Some of my favorite books, just to learn more about experiences, but also more about Filipino-American culture are: The Body Papers, Arsenic and Adobo, and America is not the Heart.
There is an extensive list of books by Filipino-American authors, which can be found here.
There are so many important figures from history, too, that we should all know. First and foremost, is to recognize the Filipino veterans and Filipina survivors from WWII. A long way to dignity is an online exhibit that portrays Filipino veterans’ experiences and struggles.
Among important figures is Larry Itliong, who was a labor leader and organizer that led labor organizations throughout the West Coast. He was able to recruit more than a thousand people to join the Agricultural Workers Organization Committee (AWOC). He became known in the 1960s when he successfully led The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to demand farm workers’ rights.
Larry Itliong is one prime example of Filipino-American historical figures. I know many of you know who Cesar Chavez is, but did you also know about Larry Itliong and that Filipinos and Mexicans united to form the United Farm Workers (UFW)? I honestly didn’t even learn about Larry Itliong until I entered college.
Filipino-American history was never presented to me in any capacity, so I, oddly, never had the desire to look into it. I can go on a tangent about why representation in the media and in school matter, but I’ll stop right here… for now.
With that said, I encourage you to also learn more about Filipino-American history and how we’ve really contributed to America.
4. Supporting Filipino-American Businesses
There are hella Filipino-American businesses like Sunkissed Pinay, Abakada Clothing, and KuyAte, just to name a few, that could definitely use your support! These are Filipino-American owned small businesses that sell jewelry and jewelry.
Here is a more extensive and detailed list of other businesses you can support!
5. Participate in Events
Find the closest events near you! This month, there are going to be different Filipino-American events with different vendors, performers, and just overall good vibes. I guarantee there’s one near you!
If you’re unsure how to find your local celebrations, try to find your local Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)! They typically have different events or conferences that you can participate in.
6. Support Local
I know I said 5 ways, but I mean the last way is supporting your local Filipino-American b!tches, aka ME! Please continue to read my upcoming blog posts related to FAHM the next couple weeks(: and also, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my blog! Also, follow all of my socials @ukaelyle and @xoxokaels for more updates and fun things.
Here’s to learning more about how Filipino-Americans have been shaping history! Let’s get it!
mahals,
kaels
too bad ain’t me<3
(mahals: our abbreviation for “mahal kita” translating to “i love you” in Tagalog)
References:
Filipino American National Historical Society. (2024, September 18). October is Filipino
American History Month! From the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)
Board of Trustees… [Status Update]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=993491405910054&set=pcb.993492865909908
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