PRESS RELEASE
SFPCG-PR-110-2021
Mayor London N. Breed signs a proclamation declaring October 2021 as Filipino American History Month in the City and County of San Francisco. (Mr. Al Perez photo)
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Mayor London N. Breed enjoins San Franciscans to recognize the vibrant impact and invaluable contributions of the Filipino American Community in San Francisco, following her declaration of October 2021 as Filipino American History Month.
In a proclamation presented during the 17th annual celebration of Filipino American History Month at the iconic San Francisco City Hall on 21 October 2021, Mayor Breed said that the month-long commemoration “honors those who have empowered the Filipino American community as well as demonstrated true leadership in our City.”
“San Franciscans can trace their roots to every part of the world, and today we observe the traditions of those with ties to the Philippines while we celebrate their customs, culture, history, and achievements. Over 3.4 million Americans identify their ancestry as Filipino, making Filipino Americans the second largest Asian American community in the United States of America,” Mayor Breed’s proclamation reads.
The San Francisco Mayor added: “For 17 years we have celebrated Filipino American History Month at the City Hall, in recognition of the Filipino American community’s vibrant impact to the historic South of Market Neighborhood, invaluable contributions to the arts, business and cultural innovations, and commitment to ensuring that all residents and visitors are able to enjoy our City’s rich Filipino history and legacy.”
In response, Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer expressed his gratitude to Mayor Breed for the recognition her government has accorded to the strong and resilient Filipino American Community in San Francisco.
In his remarks at the City Hall, Consul General Ferrer acknowledged how San Francisco has embraced Filipino history and culture into its multiracial and multicultural community.
“The San Francisco Public Library System houses around 4,000 books on Philippine history and literature at its Filipino American Center… In the SOMA Area, streets were named after Filipino heroes Lapulapu, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Melchora Aquino or ‘Tandang Sora,’ and Jose Rizal. And at the corner of Powell and Market, a street marker measures the city’s distance in miles from Manila, a sister city of San Francisco for the last 60 years,” Consul General Ferrer said.
“May the commemoration of Filipino American History Month drive us to ensure that the history and legacy of our forebears will never be forgotten by future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans, and may this celebration inspire us to continue building a community where its strength emanates from the unique diversity of our people,” the Philippine Consul General further said.
The yearly commemoration of Filipino American History Month marks the first recorded presence of Filipinos in continental United States, when Luzon natives arrived in Morro Bay, California onboard the Spanish galleon ship “Nuestra Señora de Esperanza” on 18 October 1587. END
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer (third from right) joins San Francisco City Mayor London N. Breed (center-right) and other San Francisco Bay Area officials in the presentation of the proclamation declaring October 2021 as Filipino American History Month in San Francisco, during the 17th annual celebration of Filipino American History Month at the San Francisco City Hall on 21 October 2021. Receiving the proclamation on behalf of the Filipino American Community in the city is San Francisco Entertainment Commissioner and Filipino American Arts Exposition President Alfonso “Al” Perez Jr. (center-left). (Mr. Al Perez photo)