October is Filipino American History Month
Honoring History. Celebrating Community

The "H" in FAHM Stands for History

One important piece of U.S. history is that of the Delano Manongs.

On September 8, 1965, over 2,000 (though numbers vary depending on the source) Filipino American farmworkers with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee walked off the grape fields in Delano, California, demanding better wages and working conditions. Led by labor organizers Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, Benjamin Gines, and Pete Velasco, their action began what became the historic Delano Grape Strike. Shortly after, the Mexican American National Farm Workers Association led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta voted to join the strike. The two organizations later united, helping build the United Farm Workers and a multiracial farmworker movement that transformed labor organizing in California and across the nation.

You may learn more about the Delano Manongs and the United Farm Workers movement here:

• September 8, 1965: Delano Grape Strike
• Delano Manongs
• Remembering the Manongs and Story of the Filipino Farm Worker Movement

 

The Delano Manongs remind us that Filipino/a/x American experiences are deeply intertwined with larger histories of U.S. colonialism, migration, race, labor, citizenship, and social change.

Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee members picketing in front of Filipino Community Hall as part of the Delano Grape Strike on September 24, 1965.

©Harvey Richards Media Archive