CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES CHICAGO Press Release No. ____ FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH SYMPOSIUM: RETRACING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FIRST FILIPINOS IN THE U. S. More than a century before a wave of migration brought Filipino workers or sakadas to sugarcane and pineapple plantations in Hawaii, Filipinos had esta blished little villages in the bayous of Louisiana and made significant impact on the local dried shrimp and fishing industry. To ret race the earliest known settlements of Filipinos in the U.S. mainland and draw lessons for the present and future generation of Filipino Americans from a long history of Filipino migration and integration into American SOCiety, Consuls General Generoso D.G. Calonge and Gina A. Jamoralin, from Chicago and Hawaii respectively, partnered with Honorary Consul to Louisiana Roberto Romero and the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society to hold a first of its kind Filipino American History Month celebration in New Orleans over the past weekend. A symposium focusing on patterns of Filipino migration into the U.S . and as well as significant highlights of Philippine-American history, particularly during the commonwealth period, was held last Saturday morning at the Xavier University in Louisiana (XULA). Consul General Calonge joined Honorary Consul Romero and XULA Provost Dr. Anne McCall in welcoming the participants. He echoed the imperatives of celebrating Filipino American History and embracing the rich ethnicity and value of Filipino heritage. Though Filipinos working on Spanish galleons that plied the Manila-Acapulco trade (1565 - 1815) first set foot on the continent in October 1587, some Filipinos found their way to Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico and settled as early as 1763 in St. Malo, New Orleans and "Manila Village," which is now located in a town called Jean Lafitte, according to Dr. Randy Gonzales, a professor from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who traces his paternal lineage to a pensionado. Dr. Sharon Delmendo, also of Filipino descent, from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, was a fea tured speaker who presented her research findings on the "Manilaners," around 1,300 Jews who were saved from the Holocaust by President Manuel L. Quezon . She points out that President Quezon had a bold plan that would have been the largest rescue of Jews if not for the outbreak ofWWII in the Philippines. She also gave a presentation on the "Balikbayan Bell" that the U.S . Military Academy in West Point returned to the Catholic Church in Bauang, La Union early this year. One of the highlights of the symposium was the unveiling of a historical mural done by seven Filipino artists, namely, Leonardo Aguinaldo, Darby Alcoseba, Emmanuel Garibay, Florentino Im pas Jr., Orley ipon, Jason Moss and Othoniel Neri, who call themselves the "Durian 122 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 1600, Chicago, Illinois 60603, USA Tel. No. 1(312) 583-0621 ; Fax No. 1(312) 583-0647 www.chicagopcg.dfa.gov.ph . [email protected]
Transcript
CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES CHICAGO
Press Release No. ____
FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH SYMPOSIUM: RETRACING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE FIRST FILIPINOS IN THE U.S.
More than a century before a wave of migration brought Filipino workers or sakadas to sugarcane and pineapple plantations in Hawaii, Filipinos had established little villages in the
bayous of Louisiana and made significant impact on the local dried shrimp and fishing industry.
To retrace the earliest known settlements of Filipinos in the U.S. mainland and draw lessons for the present and future generation of Filipino Americans from a long history of Filipino
migration and integration into American SOCiety, Consuls General Generoso D.G. Calonge and Gina
A. Jamoralin, from Chicago and Hawaii respectively, partnered with Honorary Consul to Louisiana
Roberto Romero and the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society to hold a first of its kind Filipino American History Month celebration in New Orleans over the past weekend.
A symposium focusing on patterns of Filipino migration into the U.S. and as well as
significant highlights of Philippine-American history, particularly during the commonwealth
period, was held last Saturday morning at the Xavier University in Louisiana (XULA). Consul General Calonge joined Honorary Consul Romero and XULA Provost Dr. Anne McCall in welcoming the participants. He echoed the imperatives of celebrating Filipino American History and embracing the rich ethnicity and value of Filipino heritage.
Though Filipinos working on Spanish galleons that plied the Manila-Acapulco trade (1565 1815) first set foot on the continent in October 1587, some Filipinos found their way to Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico and settled as early as 1763 in St. Malo, New Orleans and "Manila Village,"
which is now located in a town called Jean Lafitte, according to Dr. Randy Gonzales, a professor
from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who traces his paternal lineage to a pensionado.
Dr. Sharon Delmendo, also of Filipino descent, from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, was a fea tured speaker who presented her research findings on the "Manilaners," around 1,300 Jews who were saved from the Holocaust by President Manuel L. Quezon. She points out
that President Quezon had a bold plan that would have been the largest rescue of Jews if not for the outbreak ofWWII in the Philippines. She also gave a presentation on the "Balikbayan Bell" that the U.S. Military Academy in West Point returned to the Catholic Church in Bauang, La Union early
this year.
One of the highlights of the symposium was the unveiling of a historical mural done by seven Filipino artists, namely, Leonardo Aguinaldo, Darby Alcoseba, Emmanuel Garibay, Florentino Impas Jr., Orley ipon, Jason Moss and Othoniel Neri, who call themselves the "Durian
122 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 1600, Chicago, Illinois 60603, USA Tel. No. 1(312) 583-0621 ; Fax No. 1(312) 583-0647 www.chicagopcg.dfa.gov.ph. [email protected]
Collective." Their collaborative work depicting the life of the Filipino pioneers in Louisiana was commissioned for the occasion by Dr. Almira Gilles, a Filipino American research associate at the Field Museum in Chicago, and the Filipino National Historical Society (FANHS) in the Midwest. Ms. Jelly Carandang and Princess Emraida Kiram of FANHS then gave a presentation on "Filipinos in the Heartland of America" tracing the imprint of Filipino migration in the U.S. Midwest.
Consul General Jamoralin gave a presentation on the history and growth of the Filipino diaspora in Hawaii that began with the arrival of the first fifteen sakadas in 1906 and reached milestones with Filipino Americans being elected into various government offices, and a state legislation designating December 20 as "Sakada Day" in honor of the sakadas' great sacrifices and contributions to the economy, culture and heritage of Hawaii. She also led a panel discussion on the Filipino community's growth and triumphs in their integral role as the state's largest minority group with the participation of community leader Rev. Alex Vergara, Ms. Clemen Montero from the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii, and Mr. Lester Hael from the Academia School of Languages in Honolulu.
The glimpse into the past was made more concrete with the presence of Ms. Darla Rojas Kerner, wife of the incumbent Mayor of the town of Jean Lafitte who traces her roots to Juan "Johnny" Rojas, one of the builders of "Manila Village," and Ms. Ronda Richoux, who descended from Felipe Madriaga a Filipino who settled in St. Malo, Louisiana. Dr. Alvaro Alcazar, Filipino American Professor of Languages and Culture at the Loyola University in New Orleans, facilitated a discussion about life in the first Filipino settlements. Additional knowledge and insights were shared by Dr. Carmelo Astilla, a retired Filipino American Professor of History from Southern University at New Orleans, and former Ambassador Ruth Limjoco, who once served as Consul General in New Orleans.
Enriching discussions on contemporary developments, challenges and successes of the Filipino diaspora, particularly in Louisiana, a panel discussion that included a Filipino American lawyer, doctor, educator and community leader was moderated by Dr. Gonzales.
The symposium also included proclamations supporting the celebration of Filipino American History Month from the office of Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans and Mayor Tim Kerner of Jean Lafitte. Dr. Jose Bautista, Filipino American Professor of Economics at Xavier University in Louisiana, the only black Catholic institution of higher education in the U.S., served as emcee and program host.
The day ended with a gala night where officials, scholars, guests from the Consular Corps of New Orleans and participants in the symposium had a wonderful chance to meet and mingle with the Filipino community in Louisiana and to celebrate in song and dance the nexus of history and cultural heritage of Filipinos in the U.S. END
PHOTO RELEASE: Symposium on the History and Patterns of Filipino Migration to the U.S.
Xavier University, New Orleans - 08 October 2016 Dr. Anne McCall (left), Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Xavier University in New Orleans, welcomes guests and participants to the symposium on Filipino migration to the United States kicking off a two-day celebration of Filipino American History Month in New Orleans. Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is the only black Catholic institution of higher education in the country. It was founded in 1915 through the efforts of an American saint, Saint Katharine Drexel, and visited by another saint, Saint John Paul II, in 1987. Consul General Generoso D.G. Calonge (right) delivers his opening remarks echoing the imperatives of celebrating the Filipino American History Month as stipulated in the resolution of the 11th US Congress in 2009. He stressed the uniqueness of every migrant community’s history, and how they all form the fiber found in American exceptionalism, with the Filipinos’ narrative being an integral part of this overall account.
Ms. Suchitra Sapathi Dyer (above) representing Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans reads the proclamation declaring the Filipino History Month celebration in the entire city. Philippine Honorary Consul to Louisiana Roberto Romero (below) receives the New Orleans Mayor’s proclamation.
Above: Dr. Randy Gonzales, who traces his roots to one of the pensionados, talks about Filipino migration into Louisiana from the latter half of the 18th century to the present. Below: Dr. Sharon Delmendo, who has relatives in Ilocos and Masbate, delivers a presentation on the significant role President Manuel L. Quezon played in saving around 1,300 Jews from the Holocaust at a time when U.S. foreign policy, which prevailed in the Philippines then as a U.S. territory, veered away from the issue.
Dr. Almira Gilles, (top, center) unveiling the mural with the help of Consuls General Gina Jamoralin and Generoso D.G. Calonge. Consul General Calonge (bottom) giving his remarks on the significance of the mural and thanking, among others, the Department of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the shipment of the painting to New Orleans in time for the Filipino American History Month celebration and symposium.
Above: Mayor Kerner and his wife, Darla Rojas Kerner, pose in front of the mural with one of the participants of the symposium. Below: Honorary Consul Romero is joined by his gracious wife, Mrs. Lita Romero, and son, Roberto Jr., in striking a pose for posterity with the mural. The Romero family was a powerful force in bringing the FAHM celebration to its successful completion while serving as generous hosts to PCG officials and resource speakers.
(Clockwise from top left) Dr. Almira Gilles explains the process and sheds light on the background of the production of the mural as a collaborative endeavor of seven illustrious Filipino artists known as the “Durian Collective.” Dr. Carmelo Astilla, retired History Professor, shares his knowledge and insights about the life of the first Filipino settlers and their descendants in Louisiana. Volunteers from the Filipino community in Louisiana, both young and old, add color to the occasion with their Barong Tagalog, baro’t saya, mestiza and other native Filipino attire. Former Ambassador Ruth Limjoco, a member of the Philippine-Louisiana Historical Society, during the Q&A of the panel discussion with descendants of the so-called Filipino Cajuns, mentions that she has kept a photo of the structure of the Manila Village that she had taken in the 1980s while serving at the Philippine Consulate General in New Orleans.
Above: Consul General Gina Jamoralin delivers a presentation on the Filipino diaspora in Hawaii from the early 1900s to the present. Below: Ms. Clem Montero of the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii; Pastor Alex Vergara; and Mr. Lester Hael of the Academia School of Languages in Honolulu lead a spirited discussion of finer points about the history and growth of the Filipino community in Hawaii.
Ms. Jelly Carandang and Princess Emraida Kiram (above) of the Filipino American National Historical Society highlight the distinct features of the Filipino diaspora in the U.S. Midwest. A panel composed of Filipino community leaders in Louisiana (below) discusses the challenges and triumphs in attaining their goals and promoting the welfare of their members. Seated from left to right are Ms. Christine Changho Bruneau, President of the Louisiana Asian Pacific American Bar Association; Dr. Raul Estaris former President of the Association of Philippine Physicians – Louisiana and Gulf Coast Chapter; Ms. Eva Adolfo, Vice President of the Filipino American Association of Greater Baton Rouge; and Ms. Ingrid Cruz, founding President of the Filipino Educators Federation of Louisiana
Note: Photos of the symposium speakers, guests and participants used in this report are courtesy of Mr. Roberto Romero, Jr. and Deputy Consul General Romulo Victor Israel, Jr.
