History of Filipino-Americans in Seattle

Eminent Filipinos Many achievements, including several firsts, have marked the 1980s and 1990s. In 1979, Delores Sibonga became the first member of the Seattle City Council of Filipino ancestry. President Bill Clinton appointed Bob Santos a Filipino, as regional representative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1992, Velma Veloria won election to the Washington State Legislature from Seattle’s 11th District. And Alex Tizon and Byron Acohido of The Seattle Times won Pulitzer Prizes in 1996 for their reporting on fraud in Indian housing programs (Tizon) and on airplane safety (Acohido).

Sources: Ursula Barboza, “Filipinos in Seattle” in the 11th Anniversary Special Program of the Northwest Asian Weekly (Seattle, 1994); Carlos Bulosan, America is in the Heart: A Personal History (Seattle: University of Washington Press, [1943] 1973); Fred Cordova, Filipinos: Forgotten Asian Americans: A Pictorial Essay 1763-circa 1963 (Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1983); “Filipinos in the Pacific Northwest,” 1952-l982 Commemorative Yearbook (Filipino American Intercommunity Council of the Pacific Northwest, 1982); Hyung-chan Kim and Cynthia C. Mejia, The Filipinos in America 1898-1974: A Chronology and Fact Book (Dobbs Ferry NY: Oceana Publications, Inc. 1976); Gail Nomura, “Washington’s Asian/Pacific American Communities,” in Peoples of Washington: Perspectives on Cultural Diversity ed. by Sid White and S.E. Solberg (Pullman: Washington State University Press, 1989); Symbol of Filipino Identity: Glimpses of “Pinoy Life in the Pacific Northwest ed. by Diony Corsilles (Seattle: Magiting Corp., 1983); Edward and Elizabeth Burke, Seattle’s Other History: Our Asian American Heritage (Seattle: Profanity Hill Press, 1979); Ruth Pelz, The Washington Story: A History of Our State (Seattle: Seattle Public Schools, 1988); Fred Cordova, “Pista Sa Nayon 1993: A Commentary,” Pista Review: Official 1993 Seafair Pista Sa Nayon Program (Seattle: Pista Sa Nayon, 1993); “Anti-Filipino Feeling Flares Up in Raids,” Auburn Globe Republican, Auburn, Washington, May 8, 1930; Chuck Taylor, “Seattle Times Wins Two Pulitzer Prizes,” The Seattle Times, April 7, 1997; E.V. Vic Bacho, “History of the Filipino Community of Seattle,” in Pamana: Half-a-Century of Filipino Community Life in the Emerald City (Seattle: Filipino Community of Seattle, Inc., 1986?), 13-68; Fred Cordova, “The Community in Seattle,” in Pamana II (Seattle: Filipino Community of Seattle, Inc., n.d.), 14-21; C.N. Rigor, “President’s Past: The Marks That They Leave,” in Pamana: Half-a-Century of Filipino Community Life in the Emerald City (Seattle: Filipino Community of Seattle, Inc., 1986?), 69-123.. Note: This essay was expanded on September 7, 2010. By Cynthia Mejia-Giudici, December 03, 1998 Source:  HistoryLink.org