In celebration of October Filipino American History Month, the winners of the “Filipinos in New York” Photo Contest, hosted by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Metro New York Chapter, will be on display at Kalusugan Coalition, Inc. (39-04 63rd Street Woodside, NY 11377). A few of the pictures were found from the Philippine Student Bulletin that was published from 1923-1937. These include a photograph of six Filipina women that were students at Teachers College- Columbia University (circa 1923), as well as a group of young men who were part of the Filipino Aero Students Club at Lloyd Bennett Airport (circa 1935). Other submissions include photographs of Filipinos in historic landmarks like Times Square and Central Park in the 1950s and contemporary photos from the Philippine Independence Day Parade in 2011. Also available at the exhibit will be the Proclamation from Mayor Michael Bloomberg declaring Filipino American History Month in October 2011.
The exhibit will be available for viewing throughout the month of October and early November. A reception will be held on Saturday, October 8th from 2-4pm.
If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Ballesteros at deballesteros@gmail.com.
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The mission of the Filipino American National Historical Society shall be to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.
The Kalusugan Coalition is a multidisciplinary collaboration dedicated to creating a unified voice to improve the health of the Filipino American community in the New York/New Jersey area through network and resource development, educational activities, research, community action, and advocacy.
On October 18, 1587, the first documented ‘Filipino’ landed in the United States in Moro Bay in California. In 1763, Filipino Seamen established a settlement in what is now known as Louisiana. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Filipinos came to the United States as sponsored and non-sponsored students. And after the Immigration Act of 1965, Filipinos came to the US in unlimited numbers, mainly as professionals (doctors, nurses, engineers), but also as students, military service personnel, and domestic care workers.
When the Filipino American National Historical Society (Fanhs) first established Filipino American History Month in 1988, October was chosen to commemorate the historic landing of the ‘Manila Men’ in Moro Bay. In 2009, the Filipino American community celebrated a victory when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 298 and U.S. Congress passed H. Res. 780, both recognizing October as Filipino American History Month in the US. In 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Governor David Patterson proclaimed Filipino American History Month in New York City and the state of New York. This year, Mayor Bloomberg will again proclaim October as Filipino American History Month.
To commemorate the month, Metro New York Chapter of Fanhs is hosting several events, alongside several Filipino American community organizations in New York City. To kick off the event, the Philippine Consulate General and Fanhs are hosting an ‘Opening Ceremonies’ event at the Philippine Center in Manhattan (556 Fifth Avenue), on Friday September 30 from 7 to 9 pm.
At the event, there will be a photo exhibit featuring the winners from our ‘Filipino Americans in New York’ photo contest. Daniel Ballesteros, an officer of Fanhs Metro New York said that the photographs “exemplify the history, culture, neighborhoods, community, families, and organizations of Filipinos in New York.” He also shared that there are original photographs of Filipino Americans taken from earlier time periods, ranging from pictures of Columbia University students in the 1920s and of various Filipino immigrants in the 1930s-1950s.
At the event, Fanhs will also be presenting community awards to four individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the preservation of Filipino American history and the promotion of the Filipino American community of the Metropolitan New York area. The ‘Contributions to Excellence’ award will be presented to Venessa Manzano, MPH, for her various contributions to the Filipino American community, particularly for her creation and implementation of the Filipino School of New York and New Jersey. Two ‘Outstanding Artists’ Award will be presented to singer/songwriter Dennis Sy and hip hop artist Ryan ‘Hydroponikz’ Abugan for their integration of Filipino American culture in their respective artistries. The ‘Youth Leadership Award’ will be presented to Kirklyn Escondo, a senior at New York University, for her involvement in her college’s Intercollegiate Filipino Association, as well as her leadership in organizations such as Kalusugan Coalition, Inc., UniPro, and the Physical Activity and Pilipino American Youth Assessment (PAPAYA) Project.
For more information, please contact Dr. Kevin Nadal at (646) 924-5978 or knadal@gmail.com.
Greetings Community Organizations, Community Organizers, Musicians, Artists, Teachers, Domestic Workers, students and free spirits,
As Filipino American History Month (FAHM) is slowly approaching, the Filipino American National Historical Society of Metro New York (FANHS MNY) would like to personally invite you to a meet and greet social, sushi and karaoke extravaganza! We hope that the evening will foster community building, an opportunity to network and of course to belt out some of your favorite tunes for a great cause!
SAVE THE DATE | Karaoke Kickoff Fundraiser: for Filipino American History Month | September 18th
@ Je’Bon Sushi 15 St. Marks Place
basement level
Time: 5-9pm
* We ask that participating organizations, individuals bring pamphlets and business cards that will be displayed on a table to distribute to those attending. If you are short on PR material bring more people to mix and mingle.
* Additionally we would like to create a slide show that can be viewed by all about your organizations during the earlier part of the event so please send no more than two informative slides, if we do not receive them from you we will add your logo only in the slideshow.
* There will be a $15 food/beverage limit per person at Je’Bon but you will not be disappointed!
* Each song requested will cost $1 and will go to FANHS MNY for future programming. We may have a sing off so come prepared with song requests. Singles - Duets and small groups may be asked to perform!
Stay tuned for updates on possible guest appearances!
For more information please email: fanhs.mny@gmail.com
We look forward to meeting all of you!!
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the Filipino American community of New York invites you to a vigil in honor of the Filipino American victims and heroes of 9/11/11.
The evening will consist of tributes from family members and Filipino American community leaders. There will also be performances from various community artists. Biographies of the Filipino American victims of 9/11 will be read.
The event will be open for all. Please distribute widely.
Sponsored by:
· Filipino American National Historical Society
(FANHS) Metro New York Chapter
· Filipino American Human Services, Inc. (FAHSI)
· Kalusugan Coalition, Inc.
· Damayan Migrant Workers Association
· Collaborative Opportunities for Raising Empowerment (CORE)
· Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE)
· Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro)
· BaranGAY
· NYU International Filipino Association (IFA)
· The Outstanding Filipino Americans
(TOFA) in New York Committee
· Kinding Sindaw
· Asian/ Asian American Research Institute (AAARI)
· National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON)
For more information, please contact Kevin Nadal <knadal at gmail dot com>.
Maraming Salamat (Many Thanks).
FANHS MNY is delighted to announce our participation in the 34th AAIFF in NYC the community partner for The Learning directed by Ramona Diaz (IMELDA)!
Please support AAIFF as they go into their 34th year providing shorts, documentaries, and movies on, about and by Asian Americans!
Sunday, August 14 at 6:15PM
at Chelsea Clearview Cinema
260 West 23rd Street (7th & 8th Ave.)
New York, NY 10011
Theatre 7
Directed by Ramona Diaz
“Filipinos in New York” Call for Photographs 2011
The Filipino American National Historical Society – Metro New York Chapter (FANHS) announces a call for photographs for the upcoming exhibition “Filipinos in New York” that will take place this October 2011. In celebration of October Filipino American History Month, the exhibit will be open to all photographers of any age and all photographs of any year. Fifteen to twenty photographs will be chosen by our jurors for exhibition, and select photographs, one Best in Show and three Honorable Mentions, will be included in the upcoming book “Filipinos in New York” published by Arcadia.
We are looking for photographs that exemplify the history, culture, neighborhoods, community, families, organizations, etc. of Filipinos in New York. We are also looking for original photographs taken during earlier time periods (e.g., pictures of ‘pensianados’ or college students at Columbia or NYU; naval officers in the 1950s, post-1965 immigrants in metropolitan New York). All photographs will be considered.
The exhibition will run during October with an opening reception to celebrate the exhibition and Filipino American History Month.
Deadline for submissions is August 10th. Late submissions will not be considered. Selected photographs will be announced August 24th. Please indicate the name of the photographer, the approximate date, and a brief description of the photograph.
Please email submissions to fanhsmny@gmail.com. Arcadia Publishing is the leading local history publisher in the United States, with a
catalog of more than 6,000 titles in print and hundreds of new titles released every year.
Established in 1993, Arcadia has blended a visionary management approach with the innovative application of state-of-the-art technology to create high-quality historical publications in small local niches.
Arcadia is best known for its popular Images of America series, which chronicles the history of communities from Bangor, Maine, to Manhattan Beach, California. With more than two hundred vintage black-and-white photographs, each title celebrates a town or region, bringing to life the people, places, and events that define the community. Arcadia also publishes other series: Images of Rail, Images of Sports, Images of Baseball, Black America, Postcard History, Campus History, Filipinos In America, Corporate History, Scenes of America, and Then & Now.
Celebrate FAHM* early by watching the New York Mets on the Second Annual Filipino Heritage Night at Citi Field!
Thanks to Nicole Annese [nannese at nymets dot com] for the heads up!
*Filipino American Heritage Month, which is in October, siyempre.
Dear Community Leader:
I am writing this letter to you on behalf of the Filipino American National Historical Society, Metro New York Chapter to ask you for your support of one of our most ambitious endeavors. This year, we are launching a campaign in association with the Philippine Consulate General of New York and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) New York Chapter for the official recognition of Filipino American History Month every October in New York State.
When the national office of FANHS first established Filipino American History Month in 1988, October was chosen to commemorate the landing of the “Manila Men” in Moro Bay, California on October 18, 1587. In October 2009, the Filipino American community celebrated a victory when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 298 recognizing October as Filipino American History Month. Moreover, in November 2009 Congress passed H. Res. 780, “Recognizing the celebration of Filipino American History Month in October.” There have been several states (e.g., Washington, Michigan) and cities (e.g., Chicago, Anchorage) that have passed proclamations recognizing October as Filipino American History Month. However, it is only in the state of California that a resolution was passed by the state senate.
In 2010, New York Governor Paterson and NYC Mayor Bloomberg both passed official proclamations recognizing October as Filipino American History Month in both New York state and New York City . However, legislation needs to be passed for Filipino American History Month to be recognized every year in the state of New York.
The FANHS Metro New York Chapter upholds our mission to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States. By recognizing our community’s heritage in thestate every year, we would make an historic leap forward in realizing our mission and in advancing the public image of Filipino American New Yorkers.
Filipino Americans stand out as a thriving and prominent community among the great number of immigrants who have come to these shores from all parts of the world and made the Empire State their home:
We cannot do this without you. Stand together with us and a multitude of Filipino American organizations across the state in championing this worthy cause. If you support this cause, we will list your organization as part of the Filipino American History Month in New York Network.
We look forward to confirmation of your official written support by email to me (knadal@gmail.com) by June 1st.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Maraming salamat,
Kevin Nadal, Ph.D.
President
FANHS, Metro New York Chapter
L. Crowder
As we say farewell to April we welcome May, which has been known as Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month since June of 1977. With the joint effort of Frank Horton of New York and Norman Mineta of California, the House resolution was introduced to the president, in hopes that the first 10 days of May be recognized as APA Week. A month later Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga produced a similar bill in which both were approved.
President Jimmy Carter signed a “joint resolution” which recognized it as an annual celebration on October 5, 1978.
“In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.”
Throughout the nation many APA Heritage parades, festivals and cultural events will be coordinated by numerous community organizations, which share the delectables of the Asian countries, workshops and events about Asian American history and culture as well as cultural performances.
FREE events in NYC:
May 3 FREE
APA Heritage Month Town Hall Meeting
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd.
Flushing, NY 11354
Potluck!
6:30-8:30pm
May 8th FREE
32nd Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival 2011
Union Square Park
E. 17th St. btwn Broadway & Park
12-6pm
By Dr. Kevin Nadal, FANHS-MNY President
kevinnadal.com
When young people are taught about the history of Filipinos in the United States, they typically learn a few things. First, we are taught about the “Manila Men” who landed in Moro Bay, California in 1587, and how they later formed settlements in the bayous of Louisiana in the late 1700s. We also learn about pensionados, or sponsored students, who came to the US to attain their college education. Most people will discover the history of the United Farm Workers, perhaps read Carlos Bulosan’s classic America is in the Heart, and learn about how anti-miscegenation laws prevented Filipinos from marrying their romantic partners of other races. Finally, it may common for people may hear about how there was an influx of professionals who immigrated to the US after the passing of the Asian Immigration Act of 1965.
While our history has included the Filipinos who were put on display in the St. Louis Fair in 1904 to those who immigrated to the fish canneries of Alaska or the sugarcane plantations in Hawai’i, there often is little talk about the history of Filipinos in New York. New York is currently one of the most celebrated and powerful states in our union, yet, many people may not know that it is also the state with the third largest population of Filipino Americans in the United States (following California and Hawai’i).
As a Calipinoy (a word I’ve created to describe Filipinos in California, in the same way that “Nuyorican” describes Puerto Ricans in New York), I can admit that I never really knew that there was much of a history of Fil-Ams in the NY. While I knew that I had a large family in Queens, and I even attended a FIND conference as an undergrad, I falsely believed that the West Coast was the home of most of Filipino American History. Because my New York family comprised only of post-1965 immigrants (as opposed to my California family which included “Old Timers” and farmworkers), I assumed that this form of immigration was the extent of Fil-Am history in NY. However, as I’ve slowly become a Pinoyorker over the past 10 years, I’ve learned that this is simply not the case.
Through FANHS and my talks with a lot of native New Yorkers, I was able to discover that New York has indeed held a rich history of Filipino Americans. I found out that Jose Rizal visited New York City during one of his travels to the US. I learned that there were pensionados who studied at NYU, Columbia, and Cornell. I heard about how Filipino navy and military officers who came to New York after World War II, and I found out that there was an even a Filipino restaurant in Brooklyn during the 1930s. However, while I knew that all of these things were true, I wished that I had seen pictures to help me visualize their experiences.
In January 2011, I was set to travel to Seattle for a psychology conference that I attended annually. Anytime I am in the area, it is necessary for me to visit Uncle Fred and Auntie Dorothy Cordova, not only to catch up on life, but to gain knowledge from these walking history books. During my trip, I made a point to go to the FANHS national archives and to uncover anything related to pre-1965 Filipinos in New York, particularly those in New York City.
To begin my search, Auntie Dorothy pointed out a publication called the “Filipino Student Bulletin.” This monthly newsletter, which was first published in February 1923, was printed by the Committee on Friendly Relations among Foreign Students, and their address was 347 Madison Avenue, New York City! What is now the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was once the workplace of Filipino pensionados who gathered information and “news” from other pensionados from across the country. Students from all over the country (including Kansas, Idaho, and Kentucky) sent in pictures and updates to the editors of this bulletin, allowing for these kababayan (countrymen and women) to remain connected in their new land. This newsletter was published once a month or so, for about 15 years, and it clearly documented that there were Filipinos not just on the West Coast, but from the Midwest, the South, and even the East Coast.
What excited me the most about my search was discovering the pictures from Filipino students in New York City. In fact, there were two pictures that I came across that were the most meaningful to me. First, I found a picture from 1923, of Filipina students at Columbia University- my alma mater! I even discovered that these women received their diplomas (mostly in home economics) from Teachers College- the school of education and the building that I resided for most of my days while I attained my Ph.D. I felt some connection knowing that these young women had likely roamed the same halls that I had.
A second picture that was dear to my heart was a group photo of the “San Esteban Circle of New York City” from 1931. It was a photo with 24 young pinoys in their classy zoot suits and slicked back hair, and it reminded me of many of the other photos I had seen of my grandfather’s generation. The picture made me feel happy as it represented that no matter where they were in the world that pinoys knew how to come together, establish communities, and remain connected as a people. And it especially made me smile because the fashion was timeless.
My search for uncovering the history of Filipino Americans in New York is far from over, and I hope to find much more information in the near future. I hope that people will join me in this quest to reveal this history, so that we can teach our future generations that pinays and pinoys did indeed make New York what it is today.
