Mabuhay! CWU celebrates Filipino American history month

Mabuhay is alive and well here at CWU, and it lives through our Filipino American students. Mabuhay is a Filipino greeting directly translated from Tagalog to mean, “long live!” or used as a way to cheers in Filipino culture. The month of October observes Filipino American History Month (FAHM), a celebration that is very important to the Filipino American (FilAm) community.

The first recorded presence of Filipinos in the United States was on October 18, 1587, when they landed in Morro Bay, California. They were referred to as, “Luzones Inidos,” directly translating to the Luzon Indians, named after the largest island in the Philippines. As the years went on Filipino Americans helped to build America into what it is today.

Filipino American History Month, originally named Filipino American Heritage Month, was first proposed in 1992 by Dr. Fred Cordova and his wife, Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) founder, Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova. The first celebration of this month took place in 1992, and was officially recognized by congress in 2009. But why was it changed to history and no longer heritage?

“We call it Filipino American History Month because it’s larger than just simply cultures, larger than simply our traditions…” CWU FASA President Ralph Ramier said, “ We want to emphasize our importance in the country of America and how we have literally built our community as a one people, as Filipinos.” While wanting to be recognized for their rich culture, they also want to be recognized for their position in the United States as well.

So, what does FAHM mean to Filipino Americans here at CWU? Ramier said, “For me… it means that we as Filipino people are recognized, celebrated and we show gratitude to each other. The Filipino American community is a very strong community. It’s one that is very unique in the aspect of collaboration, supporting each other during this month. It’s very special to me.” CWU FASA Vice President Jaden Joy Rosabia adds on, “My family was able to immigrate here and really make a living for themselves… we’re very grateful and very lucky to be able to make a living here in the United States, especially [coming from] the Philippines where it’s kind of hard to really make a living for yourself out there”.

But what makes the experience of the FilAm community different from those of the Filipinos actually living in the Philippines? Are they able to connect with their culture while being so far away from their homeland? Rosabia says, “people in the Philippines claim that Filipino Americans… aren’t actually Filipino. Very interesting because our blood is Filipino… I grew up very close to the culture but not as close as I wish.” She adds on, “I think we have a harder time trying to figure out our identity and our culture just because there’s so many cultures out there [in the United States] which we’re very grateful for… but also at the end of the day there’s your culture too”. 

At the end of every FASA meeting the group ends with Isang Bagsak, a Tagalog term coined in the 60s from the United Farm Workers Movement. The phrase translates to “one fall,” with the participants starting with a slow clap, gradually getting faster until someone calls out, “Isang Bagsak!” and everyone ends in one large clap together. This signifies the community that the FilAm people feel with one another. That if they fall, they fall together, and if they rise they will rise together even stronger.

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