NATIONAL FILIPINO-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
OCTOBER 2022
WHEREAS, the City of Hercules celebrates the diversity and history of our City; and WHEREAS, the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental United States was on October 18, 1587, when the first “Luzones Indios” set foot in Morro Bay, California, on board the Manila-built galleon ship Nuestra Senora de Esperanza; and WHEREAS, the Filipino American National Historical Society recognizes the year of 1763 as the date of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States in St. Malo, Louisiana, which set in motion the focus on the story of our Nation's past from a new perspective by concentrating on the economic, cultural, social, and other notable contributions that Filipino-Americans have made in countless ways toward the development of the history of the United States; and WHEREAS, the Filipino-American community is the second largest Asian-American group in the United States, with a population of approximately 3,100,000 people; and WHEREAS, Filipino-American servicemen and servicewomen have a longstanding history serving in the Armed Services, from the Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, including the 250,000 Filipinos who fought under the United States flag during World War II to protect and defend this country. Nine Filipino-Americans have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the United States Armed Forces; and WHEREAS, Filipino-Americans are an integral part of the United States health care system as nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals and have contributed greatly to the fine arts, music, dance, literature, education, business, journalism, sports, fashion, politics, government, science, technology, and other fields in the United States that enrich the landscape of the country; and WHEREAS, efforts should continue to promote the study of Filipino-American history and culture, as mandated in the mission statement of the Filipino-American National Historical Society, because the roles of Filipino Americans and other people of color have been overlooked in the writing, teaching, and learning of United States history.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dion Bailey, Mayor of the City of Hercules, on behalf of the entire City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2022 as National Filipino-American History Month in the City of Hercules. _____________________________________
Dion Bailey, Mayor