History of FANHS National
Founded in 1982, the Filipino American National Historical
Society (FANHS) is truly a community-based organization
whose mission is “...to preserve, document, and present
Filipino American history and to support scholarly research
and artistic works which reflect that rich past...” The national
office and archives is housed in Seattle, Washington
operating year-round to lend expertise and support to
twenty-eight (28) chapters across the United States and is
recognized as the primary informational resource on Filipino
Americans for:
* community organizations
* primary and secondary schools, colleges,
and universities
* local and national museums and historical associations
* independent authors, playwrights, and filmmakers
* teachers, students, and scholars
Since 1987, FANHS has sponsored national conferences
(later ratified as a biennial event) where community members
of all ages and from all walks of life gather to share and
present research, network with other Filipino Americans, and
honor those who have produced ground-breaking innovative
work in the field of historical research and analysis.
FANHS - Santa Clara Valley Chapter History
FANHS Santa Clara Valley is the 8th chapter and was
initiated on November 21, 1987, organized September 20,
1990 and chartered August 21, 1991. FANHS Santa Clara
Valley was placed on inactive status on March 29, 2002 and
reactivated on June 9, 2006.
Filipino American History
In 1587, Filipinos first landed in Morro Bay, Calif. In 1763,
Filipino seamen established a settlement in what is now
known as New Orleans, La. The Spanish-American War
established Filipinos as "nationals" in the United States.
From the early 1900s through 1935, they were free to enter
the United States as long as they could purchase a boat
ticket.
The stories of the descendants of the Spanish colonial
seamen, workers in Hawaii's sugar plantations, men who
served in the U.S. Navy since World War I, women who
came in the 1920s and 1930s and aspiring college students
are waiting to be told. We also cannot forget the workers
who toiled in Alaska, Washington, Montana, the railroads,
kitchens, and restaurants. We must understand the lives of
the postal workers, houseboys, the American-born second
generation of pre-World War II days, war brides and
countless other who constitute the subsequent groups of
immigrants from the Philippines.
FANHS collects and shares the stories of the Depression,
riots, discrimination, vignettes of dance halls, gambling and
the other "leisure time" activities -- the lodges, churches,
organized Filipino communities, the process of acculturation
and the value of family. This is just the beginning of the
telling of the Filipino American Experience. There is much
more to research and appreciate, especially the eras of the
Third Wave of Immigration of Filipinos to the U.S. from 1945
to 1965 and the Fourth Wave starting in 1965. On-going
research and new revelations, plus exciting discoveries,
continue.
Founded in 1982, the Filipino American National Historical
Society (FANHS) is truly a community-based organization
whose mission is “...to preserve, document, and present
Filipino American history and to support scholarly research
and artistic works which reflect that rich past...” The national
office and archives is housed in Seattle, Washington
operating year-round to lend expertise and support to
twenty-eight (28) chapters across the United States and is
recognized as the primary informational resource on Filipino
Americans for:
* community organizations
* primary and secondary schools, colleges,
and universities
* local and national museums and historical associations
* independent authors, playwrights, and filmmakers
* teachers, students, and scholars
Since 1987, FANHS has sponsored national conferences
(later ratified as a biennial event) where community members
of all ages and from all walks of life gather to share and
present research, network with other Filipino Americans, and
honor those who have produced ground-breaking innovative
work in the field of historical research and analysis.
FANHS - Santa Clara Valley Chapter History
FANHS Santa Clara Valley is the 8th chapter and was
initiated on November 21, 1987, organized September 20,
1990 and chartered August 21, 1991. FANHS Santa Clara
Valley was placed on inactive status on March 29, 2002 and
reactivated on June 9, 2006.
Filipino American History
In 1587, Filipinos first landed in Morro Bay, Calif. In 1763,
Filipino seamen established a settlement in what is now
known as New Orleans, La. The Spanish-American War
established Filipinos as "nationals" in the United States.
From the early 1900s through 1935, they were free to enter
the United States as long as they could purchase a boat
ticket.
The stories of the descendants of the Spanish colonial
seamen, workers in Hawaii's sugar plantations, men who
served in the U.S. Navy since World War I, women who
came in the 1920s and 1930s and aspiring college students
are waiting to be told. We also cannot forget the workers
who toiled in Alaska, Washington, Montana, the railroads,
kitchens, and restaurants. We must understand the lives of
the postal workers, houseboys, the American-born second
generation of pre-World War II days, war brides and
countless other who constitute the subsequent groups of
immigrants from the Philippines.
FANHS collects and shares the stories of the Depression,
riots, discrimination, vignettes of dance halls, gambling and
the other "leisure time" activities -- the lodges, churches,
organized Filipino communities, the process of acculturation
and the value of family. This is just the beginning of the
telling of the Filipino American Experience. There is much
more to research and appreciate, especially the eras of the
Third Wave of Immigration of Filipinos to the U.S. from 1945
to 1965 and the Fourth Wave starting in 1965. On-going
research and new revelations, plus exciting discoveries,
continue.
FANHS Santa Clara Valley Chapter Background *Sept. 20, 1990 chapter organized *Aug. 21, 1991 chapter chartered *Mar. 29, 2002 chapter placed on inactive status *Jun. 9, 2006 chapter reactivated |
FANHS National Background *Nov. 26, 1982 organized in Seattle, WA *Jan. 7, 1985 chartered in the State of Washington *Mar. 27, 1986 received IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status |
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Filipino American National Historical Society
(FANHS) Santa Clara Valley Chapter
(FANHS) Santa Clara Valley Chapter
| Filipino laborers, Central Valley, California - circa 1930s |
| Filipino American Carlos Bulosan, author of "America is in the Heart" |
