Pasko 2009: The Mabuhay, Inc. Holiday Party

Check out page 117.  Camp Mabuhay is a volunteer organization established in 1996 to network with American families of adopted Filipino children.

Sunday, Dec 6, 2009 - Book signing at the VFW Holiday Party, Oxon Hill, MD

See pp. 75 and 104 in the book.  The General Vicente Lim Post 5471 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. was established in 1945 and still exists today.  The Ladies Auxiliary was added in 1954, and Junior Girls Unit established in 1970.

Book Launch & Book Review: "New Book Reveals Early Filipinos in Washington, DC....who were they?"

December 3, 2009
Book Launch Review by Maurese Owens (Photos by Bing Branigan)

COMMUNITY NEWS

Images of America” Filipinos in Washington, DC

Who Were the Early Filipinos in the Washington, DC Area? Ever wondered about this?

There’s a new book out that tells that story --  “Images of America: Filipinos in Washington, DC,” by Rita M. Cacas and Juanita Tamayo Lott.  The book was launched December 1 at the Marvin Center of the George Washington University .  Here's the story of Filipinos in the nation’s capital told through more than 200 vintage photos pulled mainly from family albums centering around settlements and stories of our community from 1900-1964 (before the beltway was constructed), as well as photos from the National Archives collections.

The book launch was sponsored by the Philippine Cultural Society (PCS) of the George Washington University in cooperation with the Philippine Arts, Letters, & Media Council (PALM).  The Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC) and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA) supported the project. 

Authors above: Juanita Tamayo Lott (left) is a retired federal senior demographer, policy analyst and special assistant to the U.S. Census Bureau director.  On right is Rita Cacas, daughter of one of the Depression-era pioneers. She worked at the Gallery of Art and is now with the U.S. National Archives.

The launch, organized by Mitzi Pickard of PALM and Kaye Ablen, president of the GWU Philippine Cultural Society, drew a diverse audience of all ages.  Questions from the audience elicited curiousity and awe at who these Filipinos were at the turn of the century. Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park Larry Shinegawa was present and applauded the publication of the book.  Filipino Americans who are interested in their history will find this 128-paged pictorial both fascinating and informative.

Copies of the book may be purchased from PAFC.  Please contact Ador at adorcarreon@aol.com/tel.  240.475.2645 or Maurese at mpapoose@aol.com or 703.606.8796.

More photos:

Larry Shinegawa, Director of the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park offers remarks at an open forum with GWU student UMD College Park student Angela Lagdameo as commentator..

Kaye Ablen of GWU and Mitzi Pickard of PALM, organized the launching event.

Attendees  filled the GWU ampi-theater  and lined up for the book signing after the presentation. They expressed thanks to the authors for a long-awaited piece of Filipino American history.

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Text by Maurese Oteyza Owens; photos by Bing Branigin