October 11, 2023
It’s Filipino American History Month and the perfect time to recognize Filipino Americans in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. MPUSD schools serve 332 students, or approximately 3.4%, of Filipino American descent and is home to 87 teaching and non-teaching, approximately 6.44%, Filipino American staff members.
Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American group in the nation and the third-largest ethnic group in California, after Latinas/os and African Americans.
In California, Filipino American History Month was first recognized statewide in 2006, when the California Department of Education placed it on its celebrations calendar, and in 2009, the 103rd U.S. Congress recognized October as Filipino American History Month in the United States.
The celebration of Filipino American History Month in October commemorates the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States, which occurred on October 18, 1587, when the first Filipinos came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California.
Students, teachers, staff, and community members are encouraged to recognize Filipino American Month, and some ways they may honor this month include:
- Honoring Filipino Veterans from World War II
- Learning about Larry Itliong, a leader in the Delano Grape Strike of 1965, and labor movement for better wages and working conditions for farmers
- Remembering Filipino immigrants at Angel Island
- Saluting the Filipina warriors and survivors of World War II
- Learning about Vicki Manalo Draves and her Olympic journey
- Paying homage to Lea Salonga, the first filipina and Asian American to win best performance by a leading actress in a musical at the Tony Awards
- Recognizing Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the first Filipino American and the second woman to serve as California's Chief Justice.
- Discovering Filipina American artist Jenifer K Wofford
- Celebrating Filipino American history, people, art and culture yesterday, today and tomorrow
Join MPUSD in honoring Filipino Americans.