Every Turn, Every Story: Life for Pilipinos in Chicago Then and Now

By Rowena Vergara

Maria "Sunny" VergaraCar rides with my mother often take her on a stroll down memory lane, back to 1970, when she arrived in Chicago from the Philippines. Whether I’m driving her to an appointment or around on errands, every street has a past. Every turn begins a new chapter I haven’t yet heard, about what life was like for herself and the many Pilipinos who settled in Chicago during that time. Forty years ago this month, my mother, , began a new life half a world away from Manila when she 18. As an ode to her, I’m retelling her beginnings. She represents the second wave of Pilipinos, per the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

But to help bridge my knowledge of the past and present, I "Filipinos in Chicago"also turned to Ms. Estrella Alamar, a historian on Pilipinos in Chicago. Alamar’s father was among the first Pilipinos to come to Chicago in 1920. That makes Alamar among the first American-born Pilipinos of Chicago. At 73, she is the founder and president of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago, and the co-author of “Filipinos in Chicago.”

I am honored to retell their stories.

The First Filipinos: Pre-1970
There has never been a so-called Pilipino neighborhood in Chicago, according to my mom and Alamar. Alamar remembers when her family went to Chinatown (at 22nd and Cermak streets), to buy ingredients for Pilipino food, like Hong Kong-style noodles for pancit. While ethnic enclaves exist today, from Devon Avenue’s Desi corridor, Greektown, Korea Town, or the Argyle Street corridor some call Vietnamese Town/Little Saigon, there has never been a known Pilipino district.

The reason, Alamar says, is because when Pilipinos settled, they became clusters within themselves, sometimes by the neighborhood or province they hailed from, or simply because of the language they spoke. The first Pilipinos in Chicago were male bachelors, mainly Ilocanos, who resided in Hyde Park (President Barack Obama’s neighborhood), the West Side by the United Center (home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks) and the near North Side. They were either government-supported pensionados, or self-supported students by day and workers by night, some in the hotels downtown. While Alamar’s father arrived in 1920, there were three Pilipinos in Chicago in 1910, and less than 2,000 by 1935, according to a paper by Northern Illinois University Professor Barbara Posadas (“Filipino Americans in Chicago”). Many Pilipinos worked as postal workers, too.

Interestingly, U.S.-born Pilipinos today may identify with this statement by Alamar: “Growing up, we spoke English. We were raised to be American, but on weekends, we were real Pilipinos because of the organizations my parents were a part of. We also Pilipino had food in the home,” she said.

Nueva Vizcaya Assn1967

The biggest celebration was Rizal Day, where banquets were held in downtown hotels. Those hotels no longer exist, and the celebrations lasted from the 1920s to the late 1960s, she said. Today, Rizal’s life and death is celebrated by the Knights of Rizal, which host programs in honor of the Philippine national hero. From Alamar’s memory, grocery store Unimart (now with 5 Chicagoland locations), and restaurant Little Quiapo, are among the oldest Pilipino establishments. Little Quiapo is now at 6259 N. McCormick Ave. By 1974, the Jose P. Rizal Heritage Center opened at 1332 W. Irving Park Road, moving from a smaller center by DePaul University.

The New Wave: Late 1970s-today
The first years of my mother’s new life bring out her most vivid stories. There were humorous moments, when she thought a ride on Chicago’s “El” transit system literally led her to the state of “California” when the avenue was announced as a stop. Then there were the struggles. Her goal was to get work experience immediately, but she believes there was discrimination. She remembers sitting in waiting rooms filled with newly arrived Pilipinos applying for administrative work.  “After passing all their tests, they would say, “We think there’s a language barrier, or, you have no local experience,” she told me. “I would have local experience if you give me a chance to work for you,” she recalled. Pilipinos saw it happen time and time again.

Discrimination played out at discotheques, from what my dad used to say. Some places wouldn’t allow Asians because they were perceived to cause fights. My parents said that was the result of a brief rivalry between Pilipinos and Vietnamese. The rumor was the rivalry began with a scuffle between a Pilipino and a Vietnamese from opposing street gangs.

Vergara family, 1989

Part of the American dream, my mother said, was to help fellow Kababayans (countrymen). While my mother did her share of that even to this day, much credit goes to my Lolo (Grandfather), who was the true pioneer of our family. He arrived in 1969 and worked as an accountant for the University of Illinois at Chicago, then petitioned for my mother and Lola (Grandmother). But he was just as much a pioneer for many Pilipino men who came with the clothes on their back. One was my father, Virgilio Vergara. (You can guess how many parents got together). My Lolo found my dad housing. In the buiding next to their Wrigleyville apartment, Pilipino bachelors filled one and two-bedroom apartments, with three to five men. “We used to call it Bahay Ampunan, or The Orphanage,” my mom told me. “That’s where everybody had gone. Pilipinos would help each other, and live there for free until they got a job,” she said.

Neighborhoods have undoubtedly changed. Living blocks from Wrigley Field, the area is now filled with 20-somethings and the nightlife never sleeps. Due to gentrification, Pilipinos moved all around, residing more so on the North Side now with a large concentration in Albany Park. (Alamar still lives in Hyde Park). From the 1980s on, many, like my family, migrated to the suburbs.

With the 25th anniversary of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago approaching, Alamar stresses unity now more than ever. “I want us to know our diversity rather than let the diversity disunite the people. We should use it as a strength,” she said.

As for my mom, she’ll forever be proud of her early life in Chicago. “I had a very strong determination, that no matter what I had experienced from the day I stepped onto this land of opportunity, I told myself that nothing is hard in this world if you tell yourself to succeed,” she said.

Special Thanks to:

Ms. Estrella Alamar, my mother Maria Vergara, Ruben Salazar, and many more for helping fuel my passion to learn more about the history of Chicago Pilipinos.

Photo credits:

Amazon.com, Nueva Vizcayan Association Facebook fan page.

Related Links:
Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago

"Filipino Americans in Chicago" by Barbara Posadas, Northern Illinois University professor

Estrella Alamar and Willi Red Buhay's "Filipinos in Chicago," on Amazon.com

*Upcoming Heritage Event:

Singgalot (The Ties that Bind), a traveling exhibit of Pilipino history. Conducted by the Smithsonian Institute in connection with the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago, the exhibit is in Schaumburg, IL from May 15 to July 25.