Celebrating Filipino American History Month
On September 26, 2023, the LA County Board of Supervisors passed a motion proclaiming October as “Filipino American History month” in Los Angeles County and October 25, 2023 as Larry Itliong Day.
This month is used to commemorate and honor the Filipino experience in America, with the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States occurring in October of 1587. Filipino Americans represent the second-largest Asian American ethnic group in the United States, with over 4.1 million across the country. Los Angeles County alone is home to over 370,000 Filipino residents, the most of any single County in the United States.
October 25 is also recognized as “Larry Itliong Day” in the State of California. Larry Itliong is an important Filipino-American labor leader and civil rights champion. Born in the Philippines, in 1929 he moved to the United States, where he would help shape the farm labor movement. During World War II, he moved to California, where he helped launch the asparagus strike of 1948, representing the first major agricultural strike after World War II. In 1956, he founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union, and helped create the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee. In 1965, he fought alongside farm workers in the Coachella Valley. These workers would ultimately partner with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and the National Farmworkers Association, helping secure the first farmworker union contracts. His contributions helped form the foundation of the labor movement and helped farmworkers secure many of the rights they enjoy today.
Filipino community enclaves span across the County of Los Angeles, including West Covina and Historic Filipinotown in the First District of Los Angeles County, as well as the city of Carson in the Second Supervisorial District. Filipino residents are also an integral part of the County workforce. Throughout October and year-round, let us recognize and uplift their significant contributions to the cultural fabric of Los Angeles County.
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