FANHS National

Founded in 1982, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) is truly a community-based organization whose mission is “…to preserve, document, and present Filipino American history and to support scholarly research and artistic works which reflect that rich past…” The national office and archives is housed in Seattle, operating year-round to lend expertise and support to twenty-seven chapters across the United States and is recognized as the primary informational resource on Filipino Americans for:

  • community organizations
  • primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities
  • local and national museums and historical associations
  • independent authors, playwrights, and filmmakers
  • teachers, students, and scholars

Since 1987, FANHS has sponsored national conferences (later ratified as a biennial event) where community folks of all ages and from all walks of life gather to share and present research, network with other Filipino Americans, and honor those who have produced ground-breaking innovative work in the field of historical research and analysis. Our 2010 conference, A Quest for Emergence: A Retrospective, will be held in Seattle, Washington.

Past projects include the award-winning video Filipino Americans Discovering Their Past for the Future; the renowned pictorial essay Filipinos: Forgotten Asian Americans; and various regional publications and photo exhibits.

FANHS Rio Grande (FANHS RG) is one of the 28 chapters in the US, namely:

  1. Oregon
  2. Sacramento Delta
  3. San Francisco
  4. Hampton Roads
  5. Seattle
  6. Metropolitan New York
  7. East Bay
  8. Santa Clara Valley
  9. Vallejo
  10. California Central Coast
  11. Midwest
  12. Stockton
  13. Fresno
  14. New England
  15. Los Angeles
  16. Monterey Bay
  17. Alaska
  18. San Diego
  19. Central Valley
  20. Rio Grande
  21. Wisconsin
  22. Michigan
  23. St. Louis
  24. Pennsylvania
  25. Sonoma County
  26. Yakama Valley
  27. New Jersey
  28. Carolinas
Every two years, members of these chapters attend a national conference.  In 2006, it was held in Honolulu, Hawaii to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Coming of Filipinos to the US, honoring the Sakadas (plantation workers) who were the first wave of immigrants to work in the Hawaiian plantations.  In 2008, the conference was held in Anchorage, Alaska.  Seattle, our headquarters, will be the site of the conference in 2010. (www.fanhs-national.org).  

FANHS Rio Grande will host the National Conference 2012, in conjunction with the centennial celebration of New Mexico statehood.