Chapter 5: The Shaping of Filipinoamerican Communities in California: A Historical Narrative

The collective Filipino immigrant experience is an American story; it exemplifies the historical ethos rooted in the American ideal of pluralism, e pluribus unum (one out of many). Since the turn of the 20th century, Filipinos have had a long and sordid historical tie with the United States. Like many immigrants in the United States, Filipinos have shown their tenacity and resilience in the shadow of adversity, and they have made significant contributions to American society that were left unnoticed and unrecognized in the past. This chapter highlights these contributions within the California historical narrative. California has the highest number of immigrants of any state in the United States and is home to many Americans of Filipino heritage (migrationpolicy.org). In the most recent U.S. census, Filipino-Americans are the second largest Asian group in the state (over 1.7 million), and third in the country (over 4 million; United States Census Bureau). Yet, many Filipino-Americans, including this author, feel invisible and underrepresented in the narratives of California and U.S. history (Paligutan, 2023).