History of Filipino Americans
Until the 19th century, the Philippines continued to be geographically isolated from the rest of New Spain in the Americas but maintained regular communication across the Pacific Ocean via the Manila galleon.
Filipino seamen in the Americas settled in Louisiana, and Alta California, beginning in the 18th century.
During the Great Depression, Filipino Americans became targets of race-based violence, including race riots such as the one in Watsonville.
During World War II, the Philippines were occupied leading to resistance, the formation of segregated Filipino regiments, and the liberation of the islands.
In 1965, Filipino agricultural laborers, including Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, began the Delano grape strike.
[1][2] The first was connected to the period when the Philippines was part of New Spain and later the Spanish East Indies; Filipinos, via the Manila galleons, would migrate to North America.
[3] The first permanent settlement of Filipinos in the U.S. is in Louisiana specifically the independent community of Saint Malo.
[4][5] In the late 19th century, the author Ramon Reyes Lala became the first Filipino to naturalize and become an American citizen, settling in La Jolla[6] The 1910 United States census recorded only 406 people of Filipino descent in the mainland U.S., including 109 in Louisiana and 17 in Washington state.
[11][12] During the Great Depression, Filipino Americans were also affected, losing jobs, and being the target of race-based violence.
It ended national quotas, and provided an unlimited number of visas for family reunification.
[34] Of those Filipinos receiving their lawful permanent residency status in 2016, 66% were new arrivals, while 34% were immigrants who adjusted their status within the U.S.[35] In 2016, data collected from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security found that the categories of admission for Filipino immigrants were composed mainly of immediate relatives, that is 57% of admissions.
[35] This makes the admission of immediate relatives for Filipinos higher than the overall average lawful permanent resident immigrants, which is composed of only 47.9%.
Diversity, refugees and asylum, and other categories of admission make up less than one percent of Filipino immigrants granted lawful permanent resident status in 2016.
Filipino farm workers were instrumental in organizing several significant labor movements: Formation of early agricultural labor unions in Hawaii Leadership in the Delano Grape Strike, notably through Larry Itliong's initiatives Key participation in the United Farm Workers movement Identity Formation and Social Positioning Filipino Americans experienced unique social and economic positioning in American society, distinct from other Asian American groups.
This positioning can be understood through the framework of racial triangulation, where Filipino Americans occupied a specific place in the social and labor hierarchy of the time.
Beyond labor organizing, Filipino American communities developed strong networks of: Mutual aid societies Cultural organizations Community advocacy groups Historical documentation of Filipino American experiences comes from various sources: Personal narratives and oral histories Labor organization records Immigration documents Community newspapers and publications Takaki, Ronald.
