Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles is considered a cultural hub for Filipino Americans, officially delineated by Hoover Street from the west, Glendale Boulevard from the east, Temple Street from the North, and Beverly Boulevard from the South. Its very existence is political, more so than other ethnic enclaves because those who identify as Filipino only make up a small part of the resident population compared to the Mexicans and Central Americans. Former councilmember, now Mayor Eric Garcetti, proposed a resolution to make the name and sign official back in 2002. However, the community still struggles for visibility without a strong ethnic economy or political representation (source). Other ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown and Little Tokyo
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Understanding the patterns of immigration contributes to our conceptualization of place as a site of action and agency (amerasia journal). The first immigration wave happened while the Philippine islands still belonged to Spain and Manila galleons would stop by the United States for trade purposes in the 1860s. Some Filipinos ended up staying in the United States, but their numbers were too few to maintain a place and retain memories. The second immigration wave, also known as the manong generation, saw unlimited importation of Filipino laborers since they were considered US Nationals before the Philippine Independence Treaty of 1934. Stockton witnessed a short-lived but thriving community of manongs as we can gather today from the dance halls and the Little Manila Foundation. The third immigration wave allowed for War Brides to be reunited with their husbands, but it was not until the fourth wave, the Immigration Act of 1965, that there came an influx of professional and family units. Historic Filipinotown served as a working-class immigrant port-of-entry, facilitating the settlement and employment of Filipinos through social service agencies and social organizations. With the second immigration wave of Filipino manongs and the recent wave of professionals, the needs of the community became more complex. Thus, Historic Filipinotown had to adapt to cater to both group’s needs, while at the same time fighting for …show more content…
As a physical building for Filipino Americans since 1944, many organizations hosted small dances, meetings, wedding receptions, and programs for senior citizens here. FACLA has also shifted in the 1970s to be the political voice for the disenfranchised manongs, who cannot afford to live in Los Angeles with the increasing costs of living. In general, homelessness is a big problem in Historic Filipinotown. From a community council organization to an incorporated social service agency, this building is the embodiment of socio-spatial
Understanding the patterns of immigration contributes to our conceptualization of place as a site of action and agency (amerasia journal). The first immigration wave happened while the Philippine islands still belonged to Spain and Manila galleons would stop by the United States for trade purposes in the 1860s. Some Filipinos ended up staying in the United States, but their numbers were too few to maintain a place and retain memories. The second immigration wave, also known as the manong generation, saw unlimited importation of Filipino laborers since they were considered US Nationals before the Philippine Independence Treaty of 1934. Stockton witnessed a short-lived but thriving community of manongs as we can gather today from the dance halls and the Little Manila Foundation. The third immigration wave allowed for War Brides to be reunited with their husbands, but it was not until the fourth wave, the Immigration Act of 1965, that there came an influx of professional and family units. Historic Filipinotown served as a working-class immigrant port-of-entry, facilitating the settlement and employment of Filipinos through social service agencies and social organizations. With the second immigration wave of Filipino manongs and the recent wave of professionals, the needs of the community became more complex. Thus, Historic Filipinotown had to adapt to cater to both group’s needs, while at the same time fighting for …show more content…
As a physical building for Filipino Americans since 1944, many organizations hosted small dances, meetings, wedding receptions, and programs for senior citizens here. FACLA has also shifted in the 1970s to be the political voice for the disenfranchised manongs, who cannot afford to live in Los Angeles with the increasing costs of living. In general, homelessness is a big problem in Historic Filipinotown. From a community council organization to an incorporated social service agency, this building is the embodiment of socio-spatial