Carson, CA – On Saturday, October 24th, SouthBay Pavilion Mall, located on 20700 Avalon Blvd., will host The Delano Manongs event in honor of the October 25th Larry Itliong Day. Larry Itliong was one of the great leaders of the Delano Grape Strike in the 1960’s. Although much of the credit was given to Cesar Chavez, many did not know that it was Larry Itliong who motivated and ultimately organized the strike.
On October 6th 2010, the City Council of Carson became the very first in the United States to pass the agreement to recognize the 25th day of October as Larry Itliong Day. The passing of this resolution was also captured by ABS-CBN’s “Balitang America,” a well-respected Philippine news channel that is viewed both in the U.S. and in the Philippines. Numerous Pilipino based organizations including AADAP (Asian American Drug Abuse Program), YFSC (Youth Family School Community), FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society), The Sampaguita Youth Dance Troupe, the Filipino American Library, and more, joined together to get multiple resolutions passed in honor of Pilipinos.
SouthBay Pavilion mall is also in support of this movement, and as a result, will be hosting the celebration of this event. Jonny Itliong, son of Larry Itliong, will be sharing experiences and memories of his father. He will also show the trailer of a documentary film by Marissa Aroy entitled “Delano Manongs." Jonny Itliong’s goal is to raise awareness and funds to move forward with the documentary, which features plenty of the unforgotten Pilipino heroes of the United Farm Workers in the 60’s.
In addition to the Delano Manongs Event, there will also be another event to celebrate the other resolution passed by the City Council on that same night -- the recognition of October as Filipino History Month. On Sunday, October 30th, Pilipino Americans and other active members of the community will be putting together a one-of-a-kind event entitled “Pagbabahagi,” which means “Sharing.” This event will highlight Pilipino Americans in the City of Carson. Everyone is welcome to join the Pilipino community on both events to celebrate the historic importance of Pilipino Americans from the past, the present, and the future.
The Pilipino American community of the city of Carson has been very pro-active in ensuring the passing of these resolutions, however the existing challenge of the lack of youth involvement still stands and the Pilipino community is very hopeful to involve more youth on these two events at SouthBay Pavilion. Organizations like BakitWhy.com has taken initiative to spread awareness within their community and their followers to help the City of Carson involve more Pilipino American youth groups in the community.
On October 30th, the Pilipino American Community in the City of Carson will be giving annual awards to two active local youth candidates. One award will be the Larry Itliong Youth Award, which is for someone who shows the most promise in making a difference in the community. Candidates must write a maximum of three-page essay on how they plan to make a difference in Carson’s community. The other award is for the Filipino American History Month Teen Award, which is for a young Pilipino American who is most likely to change history. A presentation must be designed and an essay be written describing their current path to change history and how this can affect the next generation.
Stores in the SouthBay Pavilion Mall are also in support of this event. Men’s Land will be offering a “Buy one suit Get one free” on both event dates. Other stores like Hot Dog on a Stick, Jollibee, and more will also be participating during the event by offering raffle prizes or special discounts during both events.
Contact:
Sweeney Mae Montinola Marketing Coordinator SouthBay Pavilion Mall (310) 366-6636 phone; (310) 327-1486 fax SMontinola@Vintage-VRE.com
