Celebrate The Filipino American History Month 2020

Chicago, Il. – In 2009, the US Congress thru the House of Senate and House of Representatives respectively passed H. Res. 780 recognizing October 2011 and every October thereafter as Filipino American History Month (FAHM) to celebrate the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their historic contributions to the Nation. Since 2011, Filipino American community groups in Chicago and suburbs have been working and partnering together to consolidate and promote the various events in celebration of FAHM every October. We would like to invite everyone to actively participate and support the celebration of the Filipino American History Month Celebrations in Chicago and the Midwest. The schedule of events/activities is listed below. Let us take pride in our Filipino heritage and history. Let us come together and make every October celebration – a meaningful and memorable month.

The Filipino American National Historical Society announces the following theme for the 2020 Filipino American History Month: The History of Filipino American Activism. We choose this theme to highlight the myriad ways Filipino Americans have participated in social justice movements, including but not limited to, the United Farmworkers Movement, the fight for Ethnic Studies, Hawaii Sugar Plantation strikes, Washington Yakima strikes, and Anti-Martial Law Movements across multiple decades. We honor the history of Filipino American solidarity with other communities in their fights for our equity and justice, including the Black Lives Matter Movement, American Indian Movement, Civil Rights and Voting Rights, Women’s Rights, LGBTQ Rights, and Environmental Justice. This year, we recognize the advocacy of our Filipino American healthcare workers who are actively protecting and fighting for our lives everyday amidst this global pandemic. We also acknowledge that 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Filipino American Far West Convention in Seattle, whose overarching theme was EMERGENCE and is credited in part as the start of the Filipino American movement. 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of The Battle of Luzon in the Philippines – one of the bloodiest battles of World War II; it is also the 90th anniversary of the Watsonville Riots of 1930- one which has been credited as an impetus for Farmworkers Rights.

We believe this theme is particularly crucial in 2020, as it is a key election year and we are living amidst a pandemic and mass movement towards racial justice. Thus, we encourage all of our chapters and communities to reflect on decades of Filipino American activism, in order to inspire and foster our civic responsibility in the Filipino American community.

FANHS also reminds everyone that the month is HISTORY month, not “Heritage” month. “History” encompasses the experiences and events that have shaped our lives, as well as culture and heritage.