Filipino American History Month is under way

About Filipino American History Month

October was chosen for a specific anniversary. On October 18, 1587, a group of "Luzones Indios" from the Philippines came ashore at what is now Morro Bay, California, from the Manila-built Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Esperanza. The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) treats this as the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental United States, and it recognizes 1763 as the date of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States, at St. Malo, Louisiana.

FANHS was founded in Seattle in 1982 by Dorothy Laigo Cordova; her husband, Fred Cordova, was its founding president and archivist. The society's national board passed a resolution proposing October as Filipino American History Month in 1991, and the month was first celebrated nationally in October 1992. FANHS chapters, schools, universities, museums and community groups have kept it every year since, and the society publishes an annual theme. For 2026 the theme is "Beyond the Margins: Centering Intersectional Filipino American Histories," focusing on Filipino Americans whose stories have often been left out.

National recognition followed in 2009. The Senate agreed to Senate Resolution 298, recognizing Filipino American History Month in October 2009, by unanimous consent on October 1, and the House passed House Resolution 780 by voice vote on November 2. Congress passed further resolutions in 2010 and 2011, and many states, counties and cities issue their own proclamations.

FANHS notes that Filipino Americans are the second-largest Asian American group in the country. The month is a commemorative observance, not a holiday.

Sources: Filipino American National Historical Society: October is Filipino American History Month, Filipino American National Historical Society: Filipino American History Month Resolution, Filipino American National Historical Society: About FANHS, Filipino American National Historical Society: 2026 Filipino American History Month theme, Congress.gov: S.Res.298, 111th Congress (2009), Congress.gov: H.Res.780, 111th Congress (2009). How we check dates.

How to mark Filipino American History Month

• Visit the FANHS National Museum in Stockton, California, or a local Filipino American historical exhibit, or browse oral histories collected by FANHS chapters.
• Read a book by a Filipino American author, such as Carlos Bulosan's America Is in the Heart, and talk about it with a book group.
• Learn about Filipino farmworkers' role in California and Hawaii agriculture and in the US labor movement.
• Cook a Filipino dish such as adobo or pancit with a family recipe, and write down the story that goes with it.
• Interview an older Filipino American relative or neighbor about migration, work and community, and save the recording for your family.
• Attend an event organized by a FANHS chapter, a university student group or a Filipino American community center.

Filipino American History Month dates