President Obama Celebrates Contributions of FilAms @ White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month

Image courtesy of Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS).

October 2nd, US President Barack Obama honored Filipino-Americans who “helped build and defend” the United States at the first ever celebration that focused on Filipino-American History Month at the White House.

He also recognized the Fil-Ams who led the fight for better conditions and wages for Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in Delano, California, in the 1960s and early 1970s.

“Seventy years ago, the United States and our allies overcame forces of tyranny and oppression that threatened not only the Pacific but the entire world—a victory made possible in part by thousands of Filipino-Americans who fought for our nation but who for far too long were denied the compensation they had earned,” Obama said.

“You know, it’s a good indicator that you’ve arrived when you don’t only have your own month but that the White House is saying they want to celebrate it, too,” said Nani Coloretti, the keynote speaker who is the highest ranking Filipino-American in the Obama administration. Coloretti is deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Coloretti credited her Filipino grandfather, who was a labor organizer in Hawaii, for inspiring her commitment to public service.

Read more here.
News story from TheInquirer.net

Compositions: A Filipino American Experience Exhibition

Historical San Francisco Photographs by Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado, Exhibition Oct. 1-31st. 

In celebration of Filipino American History Month in San Francisco, California State Senator Mark Leno sponsors Compositions: A Filipino American Experience, curated by Janet Alvarado of The Alvarado Project. Compositions is a photo journal lovingly developed by Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado in the dramatic capture of the Filipino community in San Francisco during the 1940s & 50s providing visitors an enhanced understanding of the earliest roots of Filipino American life.

The exhibit will be at the State of California Bldg., Hiram Johnson Great Hall from October 1st- October 31st at 455 Golden Gate Ave. San Francisco.

October 20th, 2015, 6 - 9 pm
In honor of Mrs. Norberta Alvarado
Celebrate Leyte Landing Commemoration Day - October 20th, 1944 - 71st Anniversary of Leyte Liberation
Refreshments & Dancing

Compositions is comprised of the synergistic talents of Filipino American scholars, authors and musicians, emerging the exhibit, a literary anthology, a musical performance, panel discussions and other related programs. The unique historical photographs by Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado peek at the earliest roots of Filipino American life. They illustrate street scenes, night clubs, house parties, life milestones and other celebrations of community life in the Fillmore, Western Addition, Bayview, Lower Pacific Heights, South of Market (SOMA) and the Presidio, neighborhoods where the earliest Filipino families worked, played and planted community roots during the post-WWII era. An accompanying anthology, Claiming Our Stories features contemporary Filipino-American writers underscoring the diversity of the City's cultural history to which Filipinos have richly contributed.

All events are supported by The Alvarado Project, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and the Consulate General of the Philippines, San Francisco. For more information about these and other programs, please call (415) 640-0125 or (415) 794-4037.

Tune in to Watch White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month featuring FWN Attendees, FilAm trailblazers and Special Performances

Watch the live stream of the White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month via whitehouse.gov/live today Friday, October 2, 2015 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM ET. The Celebration will kick off Filipino American History Month in October and will feature discussions with Administration officials and prominent Filipino Americans, as well as performances by distinguished Filipino American artists. Please join the conversation online and Tweet questions using ‪#‎WhiteHouseFAHM‬ #‎FAHM2015‬.

FWN Members present for today's White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month include: CEO & Founder Marily Mondejar, Sonia Delen (board member), Bambi Lorica (board member), plus members Genevieve Jopanda (Global FWN100™ '13), Vangie Buell (U.S. FWN100™ '07) and White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford (Global FWN100™ '13), among others.

White House Celebration of Filipino American History Month (#WhiteHouseFAHM)
Friday, October 2, 2015
3:00 – 6:00 PM ET
The White House
Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Arrival and Networking
DJ: Les Talusan (The Pinstriped Rebel) (@LesTalusan)

Welcoming Remarks
Jason Tengco, Deputy Director, White House Initiative on AAPIs (@JasonTengcoAAPI)
Mel Orpilla, National President, Filipino American National Historical Society (@FANHS_National)

Keynote Remarks
Nani Coloretti, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (@HUDDepSec)

Opening Performance
The Filharmonic (@TheFilharmonic)

Administration Updates
Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (@MCS4Biz and @SBAgov)
León Rodríguez, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (@USCIS)

Dance Performance
Pilipino American Cultural Arts Society

Filipino American Trailblazers
Moderator: Billy Dec, Member, President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs (@BillyDec)
Cristeta Comerford, White House Executive Chef (@WhiteHouse)
Apl.de.ap, Co-Founder, Black Eyed Peas (@apldeap)
Cassie, Singer (@CassieSuper)
Geena Rocero, Model/Founder, Gender Proud (@GeenaRocero)
Jo Koy, Comedian (@JoKoy) 
Ronnie del Carmen, Co-Director, Pixar Animation Studios (@PaperBiscuit)

Closing Remarks
Vice Admiral (VADM) Vivek H. Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General)

Closing Performance
Apl.de.ap and Jessica Reynoso (@apldeap and @JessR_Official)

Courtesy of White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders