On May 18, 2013, the Asian Pacific American Historical Society (APAHS) in partnership with the National Archives at Atlanta (NARA) and the Philippine Honorary Consul General will celebrate the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, with this year’s theme “Discovering the Filipino-American Experience.” The National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region 4 and the Galing Foundation, Inc. are co-sponsors of the event. The opening ceremony starts at 9 a.m. and the symposium lasts from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The symposium will feature an oral history of the earliest known settlers from the Philippines, Filipino American healthcare professionals, military veterans and current-day community leaders. The speakers will highlight their journey to American citizenship and their contributions to the region and to their respective fields. Philippine folk dancers will perform at the amphitheater at noon. The exhibit at NARA will display Filipino arts and cultural heritage at the gallery during the event and throughout the entire month of May. StoryCorps Atlanta will be on-site to record oral histories of community members, which will be preserved at the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress and Asian Pacific American Historical Society. There will be children’s activities including a Filipino language class, indigenous games and story-telling. Traditional Filipino food will be available for a suggested donation.
The program will be attended by White House Presidential Advisory Commissioner on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Rozita Villanueva Lee, Mayor J.B. Burke of Morrow, Ret. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, head of Veterans Affairs at the Philippine Embassy, Scott Levins of the National Personnel Records Center, and Rudy Asercion of the War Veterans Memorial Commission. Invited guests include the 12th President of the Philippines H.E. Fidel V. Ramos, H.E. Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr., the ambassador of the Philippines to the United States, and noted Asian community leaders.
The event also celebrates a partnership between NARA and APAHS. Tricia Sung, the APAHS founder and executive director says, “Our mission is to document, preserve and educate the public about Asian Pacific American history in the U.S. South.” According to James McSweeney of NARA, "All ethnic groups have unique stories of triumph, tragedy and surprise relating to their family history and individual journeys to citizenship.” With over three million Filipino-Americans in the US and from that, over ten percent in the Southeast region, Philippine Honorary Consul General Raoul Donato, the honorary chair of this event, describes the event as, “a unique opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of the Filipino-American migration specifically in the U.S. Southeast.”
The National Archives at Atlanta is located at 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow Georgia 30260. For registration and more information, visit www.filamexperience.com or the event’s Facebook group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/filamexperience or send an email to discoverfilamexperience@gmail.com .
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