Preserving the Legacy

preserving and commemorating
the legacy of the delano manongs

The Delano Grape Strike was the swan song of the Manong generation. The responsibility to commemorate them now falls on the present generation so that the legacy of the Delano Manongs is preserved.

Itliong-Vera Cruz
middle school

On April 16, 2013, the New Haven Unified Board approved the naming of the Itliong-Vera Middle School in Union City, California, after Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, pioneers of the farm workers' movement in California.

March in Union City, CA in support of a local middle school to be renamed after Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz.

"Our Filipino ancestors who first came to this country struggled. Some were even mistreated, but they persisted and fought for better human conditions for all of us. They cleared the pathways and paved the road for us, ... You and I are standing on the shoulders of these heroic people so that we can continue to improve our lives and those of others. It is time that we do our part by remembering and recognizing these people who carried the burdens for us so that we may someday stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. Like many other contributing ethnic members of this society, we can remember and honor them by naming a public institution, public middle school in this case, after them."

-Rosalinda Canlas
President - Board of Education
New Haven Unified School District
on the naming of the Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School.

OBSERVance of COMMEMORATIVE DAYS

The Delano Manongs Day - Los Angeles,CA

- September 8th

Larry Itliong Day - Carson City, CA and Los Angeles County, CA - October 25th

APproval of the ab123 bill

On October 2, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law, AB123 which required the inclusion in the state education curriculum of the Filipino Americans' contributions to the California farm labor movement.

“The goal of AB 123 is to supplement California’s rich farm worker history with the contributions of the Filipino American community. The Filipino American population composes the largest Asian population in California and continues to grow; yet the story of Filipinos and their crucial efforts to the farm labor movement is an untold part of California history."

-Rob Bonta
California Assembly Member (D-Oakland)

Dolores Huerta with Assembly member, Rob Bonta

“The students of California need to learn that the sacrifices made by both the Filipino and Latino workers benefitted all Californians.AB 123 will ensure that the history is taught accurately.”

-Dolores Huerta
Co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America

THE larry itliong Village

Opening of the Larry Itliong Village in Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles on December 13, 2013. It houses the Pilipino Workers Center and provides affordable housing for the needy. (CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO)