Filipino American History Month is celebrated every October in the United States to commemorate the earliest recorded moment in U.S. history where Filipinos arrived in what is now Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.
Today, Filipino Americans represent the 3rd largest Asian American ethnicity in the country, with more than 4 million Filipinos living in the United States. 1.6 million Filipinos alone can be found living in California, making this state home to the largest Fil-Am communities in places like Daly City, Vallejo, Stockton, Carson, and National City.
While Filipinos were known to have landed in the U.S. in 1587, the majority of Filipino migration to the United States can be broken down into three main periods: pre-World War II, post-World War II, and post-1965.
While racist quotas banned widespread immigration among most immigrants during the early 20th Century, Filipinos were considered nationals because of the Philippines’ status as a U.S. territory, like Puerto Rico and Cuba, and were able to migrate to America. In states like California, Hawaii, and Washington, the high demand for labor in low-wage industries were the pull factors that drove so many Filipinos into those states. In Washington, Filipinos worked in fish canneries; in Hawaii, sugar cane plantations; and in California, Filipinos worked alongside many Mexican Americans in the agricultural sector and hospitality sector in big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Ultimately, Filipino immigration as nationals ended due to the Great Depression.
After World War II, a new wave of Filipino immigration to the U.S. emerged as the U.S. offered citizenship to the numerous Filipinos that served in the American military during World War II, particularly the Navy. As a result, large Filipino communities emerged in cities with Naval bases; including San Diego, Long Beach, Vallejo, and Virginia Beach.
In 1965, U.S. Congress passed the Hart-Cellar Act, the single most important piece of legislation that initiated the degree of racial and ethnic diversity we see in the U.S. today. The Hart-Cellar Act eliminated the immigration quotas imposed during the 1920s, and instead facilitated the migration of immigrant professionals to meet the need for high-skilled labor in the post-WWII United States. Due to push factors in their respective countries, many immigrants from Latin American and Asian countries opted to immigrate to the U.S. During this period, many Filipinos came to America to fulfill the demand for healthcare professionals, mainly the need for nurses. Many Filipinos extended the opportunity for their family and relatives by petitioning them to immigrate as well. Many of these Filipino immigrants and their relatives settled in major metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
Today, the Filipino-American community is a very diverse population, represented by many different people from all parts of the Philippines and even other countries they lived in prior to arriving in America. Please continue to spread the word about Filipino American History and donate whatever you can to support the ever-growing Filipino-American community.
FilAm PAC 