[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 141 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 141

         Declaring October as Filipino American History Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 1993

  Mr. McDermott introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
       referred to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
         Declaring October as Filipino American History Month.

Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society had declared the Year 
        1988 to be the 225th Anniversary of the Permanent Settlement of 
        Filipinos in the continental United States and had set into motion its 
        year-long, national observance in order to focus on the story of our 
        Nation's past from a new perspective by concentrating on the critically 
        economic, cultural, social, and other notable contributions Filipino 
        Americans had made in countless ways toward the development of United 
        States history;
Whereas efforts must continue to promote the study of Filipino American history 
        and culture, so mandated in the mission statement of the Filipino 
        American National Historical Society, because the role of Filipino 
        Americans and those of other people of color have been overlooked in the 
        writings, teachings, and learnings of United States history;
Whereas it is imperative for Filipino American youths to have positive role 
        models and to install in them the importance of education, complemented 
        with the richness of their ethnicity and the values of their legacy; and
Whereas the earliest documented proof of Filipino presence in the continental 
        United States falls on October 1587, more recently published by Lorraine 
        Jacobs Crouchett in her book ``Filipinos in California'' (1982), 
        annotating John Walton Caughey in his book ``California'' (1953), and 
        that definitive dates of written landings on the shores of California 
        have been recorded with the earliest on October 18, 1587, according to 
        Crouchett, annotating H.R. Wagner's ``Unamuno's Voyage to California in 
        1587'' in the Quarterly of the California Historical Society (July 
        1923), among others: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the month of October of 
each year shall be declared Filipino American History Month to mark the 
405th anniversary of the presence of Filipinos in the continental 
United States and to serve as a significant time to study the 
advancement of Filipino Americans in the history of the United States, 
as a favorable time of celebration, remembrance, reflection, and 
motivation and as a relevant time to renew more efforts toward 
research, examination, and promulgation of Filipino American history 
and culture in order to provide an opportunity for all Americans to 
learn and appreciate more about Filipino Americans and their historic 
contributions to our Nation.

                                 <all>