14 October 2015 - The celebration of the 2015 Filipino-American History Month commenced with a kick-off event held at the New Jersey City University in Jersey City on October 01, organized by the Philippine Consulate General in New York with the support of the Philippine-American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM), the New Jersey Filipino-American Historical National Society and the Filipino community members of New Jersey.
October is officially recognized across the United States as Filipino-American History Month through House Resolution 780 (H.Res.780) of the 111th Congress, introduced in 2009. The celebration of Filipino-American Heritage Month, officially recognized by the 111th Congress through House Resolution 155 (H.Res.155), actually started as far back as 1988 in the State of California and first celebrated officially in that state when the California Department of Education included it in its 2006 calendar of celebrations.
The Philippine Consulate in New York chose Jersey City as the pilot site of its kick-off event because of its rich history of Filipino interaction and the high concentration of Filipinos who call Jersey City home. In the Consul General’s welcome remarks, read by Consul Kerwin Tate, he stated that, “Jersey City has been a nexus of Filipinos on the East Coast. And the warmth with which this city has welcomed Filipinos through the decades has been, in turn, reciprocated by the Filipino community here, who can always be counted upon to support the city’s worthwhile initiatives. I am proud of the effort they have exerted to keep this beautiful place a bastion of Filipino-American friendship not just in the east, but in the entire United States.”
PAFCOM presented a short film which depicted the activism and economic contributions of the Filipino community and highlighted the vital contributions that Filipinos have made and continue to make in Jersey City.
In a moving keynote speech, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Marcos Vigil reflected on the shared history of the generations of US immigrants from Spanish colonies, including Filipinos. He shared that he himself was an immigrant, having arrived in the United States from Puerto Rico, and that he saw in the Filipino community many traditions which his Puerto Rican parents and grandparents had in some form also observed.
“I have always felt a great degree of admiration, respect and gratitude to the Filipino culture.”
With the success of the kick-off event, the Consulate plans to rotate this among the major cities in the US Northeast with a significant concentration of Filipinos in the coming years. END