Filipino American National Historical Society

Filipino American National Historical Society
Name	Filipino American National Historical Society
Caption	FANHS logo
Formation	1982
Headquarters	National Pinoy Center, Seattle, Washington
Founder	Paul McCorkle; Dorothy Laigo Cordova
Type	Nonprofit organization

Filipino American National Historical Society The Filipino American National Historical Society preserves and promotes the history of Philippine migration, Filipino American communities, and transpacific connections among Filipino, Filipino American, and United States institutions. Founded in 1982 amid growing interest in ethnic heritage movements, the organization bridges scholarly research, community memory, and cultural activism across regions including the West Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Islands.

History

Founded in 1982 by activists and historians including Paul McCorkle and Dorothy Laigo Cordova, the society emerged during a period marked by renewed attention to ethnic histories alongside organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League, Chinese Historical Society of America, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Early initiatives connected with community leaders in Stockton, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Carson to document the experiences of pioneers like Filipino farmworkers who worked on sugar plantations in Hawaii and agricultural fields in California during the early 20th century, and veterans who served in World War II, Philippine–American War, and other conflicts. The society collaborated with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, University of Washington, and University of California campuses to mount exhibitions and preserve oral histories of figures like Carlos Bulosan, Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, and Delores Huerta. Over decades, FANHS supported commemorations tied to events including the Manilatown activism, the preservation of historic sites like those in Little Manila, Stockton, and partnerships with museums such as the National Museum of the American Indian and the California Historical Society.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission centers on collecting, preserving, and sharing Filipino American historical records through community-centered programs, exhibitions, and educational outreach. Activities have included oral history projects documenting narratives similar to those collected about leaders such as Bienvenido Santos, Paulino Lim, and Fred Lazaro, youth leadership initiatives modeled on community arts programs in Oakland, California and Los Angeles, California, and collaboration with archives at institutions like the University of Hawaiʻi, San Francisco State University, and the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. FANHS organizes national conferences that bring together scholars from institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley; Columbia University; University of Michigan; and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alongside community historians from Monterey, Seattle, and Honolulu. Programs often intersect with commemorative observances related to the Tydings–McDuffie Act, the Sakadas migration to Hawaii, and Filipino contributions recognized by honors such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts when awarded to Filipino Americans.

Chapters and Regional Programs

FANHS operates through regional chapters modeled after local heritage groups in cities like San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Chicago, Honolulu, Anchorage, Sacramento, San Diego, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. These chapters coordinate local exhibits, oral history drives, and celebrations tied to historic neighborhoods such as Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles and Manilatown in San Francisco. Regional programs have linked with university programs at UCLA, CSU Long Beach, and the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, as well as community organizations like GAPA (Gay Asian Pacific Alliance) and Migrant Mother initiatives, to support events, workshops, and student internships. National conferences rotate among host cities including Philadelphia, Seattle, and Honolulu, fostering partnerships with museums such as the Japanese American National Museum and the Museum of Chinese in America.

Collections and Archives

The organization curates a range of collections including family papers, photographs, ephemera, oral histories, and artifacts documenting diasporic networks from the Philippines to the United States. Collections feature materials related to migration streams such as the Overseas Filipino Workers movement, the sakadas of Hawaii, and the settlement of Filipino communities in oil towns like Tampa, Florida and farming communities in Delano, California. Archives held or partnered with regional repositories at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, and the Huntington Library contain items tied to personalities like Carlos Bulosan, Larry Itliong, and the Pineapple and Sugar Planters of Hawaii. Digitization efforts have been pursued in collaboration with the Library of Congress, Internet Archive partners, and university presses to enhance accessibility for researchers tracing links to events such as the Philippine Revolution and the labor activism of the 1930s and 1970s.

Publications and Outreach

FANHS produces newsletters, journals, exhibition catalogs, and educational curricula that document Filipino American biographies, community histories, and local heritage projects. Publications highlight works by and about authors and figures such as Carlos Bulosan, José Rizal, Lydia de Vega, and contemporary scholars affiliated with Columbia University, UCLA, and the University of California system. Outreach has included traveling exhibits co-curated with the Smithsonian, lecture series featuring historians from Harvard University and the University of Michigan, and curriculum guides for K–12 educators used alongside resources from the National Archives and state historical societies in California, Washington, and Hawaii.

Awards and Recognition

The society and its chapters have received recognition from governmental and cultural institutions, including commendations from city councils in Seattle and San Francisco, awards from ethnic studies associations, and partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities and state humanities councils. Individual members and partner scholars have been honored with fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, and grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for research into topics such as Filipino American labor history, migration studies, and cultural preservation. Local chapters have won preservation awards for saving sites like Little Manila, Stockton and for producing exhibitions in collaboration with the California Historical Society and the National Park Service.

Category:Filipino American history organizations