history

Guest Contribution by Claire Ramos

On a global scale, Pilipinos make up one of the largest percentages of the world’s population. With that knowledge, it should come as no surprise that in my experience, no matter where I’ve lived or traveled, there were always other Pilipinos to be found in the community.

Historians agree that there have been three major immigration patterns or “waves” of Philippine immigration into the United States, starting from the U.S. occupation of the Philippines at the turn of the 20th Century.

The Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) was first conceptualized in 1990 as part of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s Festivals Program, an arts program that was designed to address the multicultural and multi-ethnic population of the city of Los Angeles.

The first FPAC took place at Los Angeles City College on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1992, and was organized by about 100 artists and community leaders. Roughly 3,000 participants braved the aftermath of the L.A. riots, which had occurred just the week prior to the affair. Since this seminal event, FPAC has grown stronger and bigger over the years; moving to Cabrillo Beach in 1994 before finally transitioning to its current location in Point Fermin Park, in the historic district of San Pedro back in 2001.

According to Dictionary.com, an enclave can be defined as any small, distinct area or group enclosed or isolated within a larger one. What does this really mean? New immigrants and migrants usually settle into neighborhoods with others from their own cultural background, and sometimes others from their home provinces. There is a sense of belonging, and familiarity projected by an enclave while adapting to a new country. Although discrimination and racism have played roles in the creation of racial enclaves, they are not the only factors.  Another factor would be the Immigration Act of 1965, which widened the door for immigration from Asian countries like the Philippines. This act allowed a limit of 20,000 immigrants per year for each country in the Eastern hemisphere. For Pilipino immigrants, the assimilation process becomes much easier when they’ve established a sense of belonging in their enclave- enabling them to set their feet between two cultures.