Filipino Americans reflect on shared heritage and migration stories for Filipino American History Month
October 28, 2021
In 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5865, declaring October as Filipino American History Month in Washington state to highlight the contributions of Filipino Americans to the state and nation as a whole.
Filipino American History Month, to many Filipinos and Filipino Americans, is a time of reflection and remembrance.
“There is a time to appreciate heritage, but Filipino or Filipino American History Month is really to learn the history that connects to why I've had the experience I've had, why my parents had the experiences they had,” Cameryn Laborte said.
Laborte is a fourth-year student at Seattle University studying mechanical engineering and is the president of the sisterhood of Pi Nu Iota. PNI is a “Filipinx-interest sisterhood” at UW campuses and Seattle University meant to empower Filipinas through sisterhood and to serve the greater community.
To Mika Magbanua, a UW alum and educational development lead at Anakbayan UW, Gov. Inslee’s reasons for signing SB 5865 made Magbanua reflect deeply on the reasons many Filipinos are forced to leave the Philippines.
“‘This is to honor the great Filipino Americans who contributed to the history and legacy of the United States,” Magbanua said. “I had to sit with that because I’m like, ‘What if those great Filipino Americans actually got to contribute to their country? Actually got to stay home?’”
Anakbayan UW is an overseas chapter of a larger political movement in the Philippines known as the National Democratic Movement, which Magbanua said looks to solve problems of imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, and feudalism.
Magbanua and Laborte collaborated with leaders of other Filipino organizations at UW to create the Filipino American History sa UW (FAHM sa UW). The collaboration, initiated at the People State of the Nation Address, was the first of its kind. Quinn Rundell, third-year student at UW and political chair of the Filipino American Student Association sa UW (FASA sa UW), is one such leader.
In celebration of FAHM, FAHM sa UW’s Instagram page calls Filipino Ameircans to submit photos of themselves and their families to showcase the Filipino American experience.
“We really wanted to collab and just be in community with all these other orgs to celebrate Filipino American History Month,” Rundell said.
Filipino American History Month, to many Filipinos and Filipino Americans, is a time of reflection and remembrance.
“There is a time to appreciate heritage, but Filipino or Filipino American History Month is really to learn the history that connects to why I've had the experience I've had, why my parents had the experiences they had,” Cameryn Laborte said.
Laborte is a fourth-year student at Seattle University studying mechanical engineering and is the president of the sisterhood of Pi Nu Iota. PNI is a “Filipinx-interest sisterhood” at UW campuses and Seattle University meant to empower Filipinas through sisterhood and to serve the greater community.
To Mika Magbanua, a UW alum and educational development lead at Anakbayan UW, Gov. Inslee’s reasons for signing SB 5865 made Magbanua reflect deeply on the reasons many Filipinos are forced to leave the Philippines.
“‘This is to honor the great Filipino Americans who contributed to the history and legacy of the United States,” Magbanua said. “I had to sit with that because I’m like, ‘What if those great Filipino Americans actually got to contribute to their country? Actually got to stay home?’”
Anakbayan UW is an overseas chapter of a larger political movement in the Philippines known as the National Democratic Movement, which Magbanua said looks to solve problems of imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, and feudalism.
Magbanua and Laborte collaborated with leaders of other Filipino organizations at UW to create the Filipino American History sa UW (FAHM sa UW). The collaboration, initiated at the People State of the Nation Address, was the first of its kind. Quinn Rundell, third-year student at UW and political chair of the Filipino American Student Association sa UW (FASA sa UW), is one such leader.
In celebration of FAHM, FAHM sa UW’s Instagram page calls Filipino Ameircans to submit photos of themselves and their families to showcase the Filipino American experience.
“We really wanted to collab and just be in community with all these other orgs to celebrate Filipino American History Month,” Rundell said.
The collaboration extends beyond UW’s campus. Anakbayan UW and FASA sa UW joined with local organizations like Malaya Seattle, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHIRP), and the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites, Seattle (CARW) to honor the impact of human rights abuses in the Philippines at a vigil in the Seafood City supermarket in Tukwila.
In addition to hosting collaborative events, the three organizations held their own events to engage Filipinx students to learn more about their identities as Filipino Americans and their relationships to the Philippines, as well as the relationship between the United States and the Philippines.
Laborte shared that as part of PNI’s rush week, the sisterhood hosted a workshop Oct. 10 on notable non-binary people and women with significant impact on Filipino and Filipino American history.
FASA sa UW said one racist aspect of the famous Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition is that it put the Igorots, Indigenous Filipinos, and other BIPoC on display for onlookers to observe their “savage” ways. Despite this, UW has a plaque close to Drumheller Fountain commemorating the exposition for its contributions to shaping Seattle and the Northwest.
All three organizations emphasized their desire to use this collaboration to educate Filipinx students about the Philippine Human Rights Act.
“We really wanted to kind of have this culmination of educational discussions around Filipino American History, but also what's happening back in the Philippines,” Rundell said.
The Philippine Human Rights Act is a proposal to the House of Representatives that looks to suspend U.S. funding to Philippine police and military forces due to alleged human rights abuses committed by police and military in the Philippines, such as extrajudicial killings.
All three organization leads look forward to collaborating more with each other in the future and with other local Filipinx and Asian American organizations.
Magbanua said it was beautiful to see all of the events come together and how each organization embodied their pillars and values.
“This is the time to think about our history and acknowledge that it's ongoing, that we have the capacity to not only create history today, but to change that narrative,” Magbanua said. “Our people deserve better. And we deserve to be free, and [to] make choices that allow us to really tap into our human selves, and be with our families and be able to be here.”
In addition to hosting collaborative events, the three organizations held their own events to engage Filipinx students to learn more about their identities as Filipino Americans and their relationships to the Philippines, as well as the relationship between the United States and the Philippines.
Laborte shared that as part of PNI’s rush week, the sisterhood hosted a workshop Oct. 10 on notable non-binary people and women with significant impact on Filipino and Filipino American history.
FASA sa UW said one racist aspect of the famous Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition is that it put the Igorots, Indigenous Filipinos, and other BIPoC on display for onlookers to observe their “savage” ways. Despite this, UW has a plaque close to Drumheller Fountain commemorating the exposition for its contributions to shaping Seattle and the Northwest.
All three organizations emphasized their desire to use this collaboration to educate Filipinx students about the Philippine Human Rights Act.
“We really wanted to kind of have this culmination of educational discussions around Filipino American History, but also what's happening back in the Philippines,” Rundell said.
The Philippine Human Rights Act is a proposal to the House of Representatives that looks to suspend U.S. funding to Philippine police and military forces due to alleged human rights abuses committed by police and military in the Philippines, such as extrajudicial killings.
All three organization leads look forward to collaborating more with each other in the future and with other local Filipinx and Asian American organizations.
Magbanua said it was beautiful to see all of the events come together and how each organization embodied their pillars and values.
“This is the time to think about our history and acknowledge that it's ongoing, that we have the capacity to not only create history today, but to change that narrative,” Magbanua said. “Our people deserve better. And we deserve to be free, and [to] make choices that allow us to really tap into our human selves, and be with our families and be able to be here.”