Filipinx American history, stories, and traditions

Early presence

A landing at Morro Bay, California, on October 18, 1587, is often cited as the first recorded arrival of Filipinxs in what is now the continental United States. They were crew on a Spanish galleon. Later, “Manilamen” settled along the Louisiana coast. Saint Malo, a fishing village in the bayous, is remembered as one of the earliest Asian American settlements in the gulf.

The twentieth century

After the United States took control of the Philippines in 1898, students called pensionados came to American schools. Larger numbers of workers followed, including farm laborers on the West Coast and cannery workers in Alaska, often called Alaskeros. They built mutual-aid associations because hotels, unions, and courts frequently shut them out.

The 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act set a path toward Philippine independence and, at the same time, sharply limited immigration. During World War II, Filipinxs in the United States and in the Philippine Commonwealth served in large numbers. Naturalization rules changed again around independence in 1946. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act reopened family and professional immigration and reshaped Filipinx American communities in California, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas, Washington, Nevada, and beyond.

Organizing for fair work

Filipinx farm workers were central to the West Coast labor movement. Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, and the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee helped start the 1965 Delano grape strike, which joined with the National Farm Workers Association. That history belongs in any honest account of American labor, not only in a sidebar.

Traditions people still gather around

These are living practices, not museum pieces. Communities keep them in kitchens, parishes, campuses, and dance troupes.

Food

Adobo, lumpia, pancit, and grilled meats show up at parties, fundraisers, and restaurants. Recipes change by family and region.

Faith and December

Simbang Gabi, a novena of Masses before Christmas, and the star-shaped parol lantern are widely kept in Filipinx Catholic communities.

Music and dance

Tinikling, singkil, rondalla, and kulintang are taught by cultural groups and student associations across the country.

Stories to replace

These three cards are empty on purpose. Swap them for interviews, family histories, or local milestones.

Places to read more

Check each link before you publish. Titles and programs change.

• Filipino American National Historical Society
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
• Library of Congress Asian Reading Room
• National Archives: ethnic heritage research
• National Park Service: Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage