October is Filipino American History Month, first officially recognized by the United States Congress in 2009. The U.S. Senate was the first to act, passing S.Res. 298 on October 1, 2009, introduced by Sen. Harry Reid with bipartisan co-sponsors, which recognized October as Filipino American History Month. The U.S. House followed on November 2, 2009, with H.Res. 780, introduced by Rep. Bob Filner.
The observance itself was first proposed and adopted by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in 1992; many states and cities recognized it before Congress did.
Yet history is not simply a list of dates and names—it is the story of people struggling to be seen, valued, and treated with dignity.
The fight of Filipino World War II veterans for recognition, finally acknowledged in 2009 after decades of neglect, showed how persistence reshapes national memory.
In Illinois, that spirit continued in 2017 with the passing of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, protecting many immigrant women and workers of color.
But the story stretches even further back. In the 1960s, Filipino agricultural workers in California, many treated “like dogs” and denied basic rights, organized under the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC). Their strike in Delano—led by Larry Itliong and joined later by César Chávez and Mexican American farmworkers—sparked the historic grape boycott that transformed the American labor movement.
These farmworkers remind us that Filipinos have long stood on the frontlines of labor and civil rights struggles, demanding to be recognized as human beings, not second-class labor.
These moments show that history is not written by presidents or lawmakers alone. It is built from the ground up by workers, veterans, and communities who refuse silence. In Illinois, Filipino Americans have carried this legacy into civic and labor organizing, forging alliances across immigrant groups.
Today, with anti-immigrant rhetoric on the rise, the lesson is clear: solidarity matters. Just as Filipino farmworkers once stood with Mexican workers in Delano, and domestic workers stood together in Illinois, we must continue to build bridges with all immigrant and marginalized communities.
Filipino American History Month is not only about honoring the past—it is about committing ourselves to the ongoing work of justice.
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