Filipino American History Month

Filipino American History Month honors and celebrates the contributions, culture, and history of Filipino Americans, tracing back to their arrival on Spanish ships in Morro Bay, California, on October 18, 1587. This marked the first recorded presence of Filipinos in what is now the United States, during the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade (1565–1815). Filipino seafarers, known as Luzones Indios, worked for the Spanish Navy, transporting goods across the Pacific from Manila to Acapulco. Their unintended arrival in Morro Bay came as they searched for Acapulco aboard the galleon Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza. After a brief conflict with Native Americans in the area, the crew departed and continued their voyage.

Though the Philippines declared independence from Spain in 1898, it became a U.S. colony under the Treaty of Paris following the Spanish-American War. The Philippines achieved full independence from the United States on July 4, 1946. In the early 1900s, many Filipinos migrated to California for work, and today, Filipino Americans are the third largest ethnic group in the state, with Southern California home to the largest Filipino-American population in the country.

Filipino Americans played a pivotal role in the labor movement, particularly in the fight for agricultural workers' rights. Activists like Larry Itliong worked alongside Mexican-American leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to form the United Farm Workers (UFW) union in the 1960s. Filipino American History Month was first established in 1992 by Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova and Dr. Fred Cordova of the Filipino American National Historical Society, though it wasn’t officially recognized by the U.S. Congress until 2009. October was chosen as the celebratory month in honor of both Larry Itliong’s birth month and the landing of the first Filipinos in America.

Since its inception, Filipino American History Month has been marked by events and activities across the United States, celebrating the profound contributions of Filipino Americans to the nation’s history and highlighting their rich cultural heritage. The first presidential proclamation of this celebration was made in 2015 by President Obama.