March 31st honors Cesar Chavez, agricultural labor leader and United Farm Workers (UFW) co-founder, annually with the nationally-recognized Cesar Chavez Day of Service. In recent years, the state of California has added Dolores Huerta Day on April 10th to honor the living legend and Chavez’s fellow UFW leader, Dolores Huerta.
Together, the two leaders have gone down in California and national history for leading what is known as one of the longest, most successful, and most significant strikes and labor movements in the country.
Recently, there’s a new name being honored alongside them by the state of California — much to the appreciation of the Filipino-American community.
Larry Itliong Day on October 25th honors the Filipino leader of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) and fellow co-founder of UFW, Larry Itliong. Itliong started the strike against grape growers in 1965 and teamed up with Chavez and Huerta to found UFW.
The year 2025 will mark 60 years since over 10,000 Filipino and Mexican agricultural workers walked off the fields and joined together to fight against inhumane practices and treatment in the grape industry. Their work would summon a nationwide boycott of grape companies and include an almost 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento.
This display of solidarity between Mexican-Americans and Filipino-Americans comes at a pivotal moment in our current American history.
Immigrants of Asian descent are second only in number to those of Latino descent in terms of unauthorized immigration — with Filipinos leading the former and Mexicans leading the latter.
It’s not a surprise that it’s been these groups that have been among the most outspoken following the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout California and the U.S. or the declaration of the nullification of birthright citizenship – a keystone right that is a part of many American immigrant family stories.
Again, Mexican-Americans and Filipino-Americans are standing side-by-side to demonstrate for a common cause: protecting their families, friends, and neighbors regardless of immigration status.
So what’s the story behind this long standing solidarity between Filipino-Americans and Mexican-Americans and how are these communities reacting to current actions against immigrant communities in the state of California?
Quick History: Reflecting on 400 Years of Solidarity
Filipino and Mexican shared history started during the Spanish colonial era, as the Manila Galleon Trade connected the indigenous people of the Philippines and Mexico in 1565. This route went from Acapulco in present-day Guerrero, Mexico to Manila in the present-day National Capital Region of the Philippines.
It was through this trade that an abundance of cultural exchange occurred between the native and mestizo populations of both regions; think of the shared foods like adobo and tamales, similarity between taquitos and lumpia, and Catholic customs in common – but it was all during a time where both groups were considered subjects to the Spanish royal crown.
There’s documentation of notable amounts of Filipinos fighting on the side of Mexico during the Mexican War for Independence and Mexicans fighting with the Philippines during the Philippine War for Independence (from Spain).
When the Japanese took control of the American-controlled Philippines during WWII, the “Águilas Aztecas” squadron from the Mexican Air Force assisted in the liberation of the Philippines at the Battle for Luzon. Additionally, The Philippines welcomed an envoy sent by Mexico at their festivities for the country’s subsequent independence from the United States.
Since the 1950s, the two countries have had one of the closest relations amongst nations formerly colonized by Spain and in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Both countries have had special relations with the United States as they’re both designated as a “major non-NATO ally”.
And these especially close relations have tied into Mexican and Filipino immigrant experiences in the United States.
Stronger Together: Demonstrating for Immigrant Rights Today
In the state of California, the Hispanic/Latino group and the Asian-American group from the 2020 Census combined creates a plurality of 50-54% of the California population being from these two groups – most of which come from families that have immigrated to the U.S. within the past one, two, or three generations.
It’s this fact that our groups are so deeply connected to immigration compounded with our historic ties that have encouraged both Mexican-Americans and Filipino-Americans to hit the streets once again to advocate for our communities together.
In Los Angeles, the U.S. city with the most Mexican-Americans by number and home to Historic Filipinotown, Filipino-Americans and Mexican-Americans have been reportedly marching together to protest recent anti-immigrant policies since International Migrants Day on December 18, 2024.
Since then, the two communities have continued to support one another in the fight for immigrant rights and recognition. During the week of February 3rd, dozens of stories and posts were released showing Filipinos standing alongside Mexican-American activists throughout the “Day Without Immigrants” protests, “50501 (50 States, 50 Protests, 1 Day)” movement, and other similar organizing movements.
Most notably, Californian communities in aforementioned Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and the Central Valley – as well as in Seattle, Washington and New York City – have seen their Filipino communities stand steadfast with their Mexican and other Latino communities to rally for our collective rights.
And this Filipino-Mexican solidarity and support in the fight for justice and freedom is something that many would like to see throughout all immigrant communities.
Pitman High School’s Hispanic Youth Leadership Council Vice President, senior Samantha Garcia Ulloa, spoke out and provided this comment for the Times:
“Although Mexicans are the scapegoats portrayed in the bigger part of the media recently, immigrants come from countries all over the world spanning from Asia to Europe to the Middle East. With all of the hateful rhetoric harming all of us alike, it’s easy to get caught up and lose sight of what unites us.
“Many [immigrants] have families they have raised here and work hard everyday to provide for them and it can be difficult to understand [immigrants’] experiences in America if you haven’t been in those shoes.
“I think it’s really important for anyone from any country to stand together in order to make an impact and see the bigger picture because we all share something in common – the want for opportunity and a better future for ourselves and the generations to come.”
We the People of the United States swore to promote the general Welfare and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. In other words, we support better opportunity and freedom for us and our descendants – that’s in the first 52 words of our Constitution.