April 25, 2024, Cal State Monterey Bay hosted Legacies of Labor: Honoring Filipinix History. The event examined Filipinx erasure from American history through the screening of two short films, The Delano Manongs: The Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers, and No Dogs (Award winning historical short film). The film screening was followed by a panel discussion that brought together an intergenerational perspective on Filipinx history. Featured panelist were as follows:
- Dr. Kathleen “Kat” Cruz Gutierrez (University of California, Santa Cruz and Watsonville is in the Heart) – A native of Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown. A previous public health worker and community organizer, she now serves as assistant professor of Southeast Asian and Philippine history at UCSC. Kat is also co-Principal Investigator of Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH), a community-engaged public history project on Filipino Americans in the Pajaro Valley. For her work with WIITH, she was given the 2024 Richard E Cone Award for Emerging Leaders in Community Engagement by LEAD California.
- Manuel Bersmin (the Tobera Project) – Manuel Quintero Bersamin is the first Filipino Mexican Mayor of Watsonville, first son of farm workers supported by the United Farm Workers to become Mayor, only Asian American to ever be elected to Watsonville City Council, first Stanford graduate to become mayor.
- Nickie Tuthill-Delute (Filipino American National Historical Society – Delano) – Born and raised in the town of Delano, CA. Nickie’s father was a manong, arriving in the U.S. in 1928, joining his cousin who arrived in 1905 and his brother who arrived in 1926. Nickie’s dad married in 1952 in the Philippines due to the War Bride Act of 1945. Through his many work travels, they established their roots in Delano. Nickie grew up in the small farming community where her parents worked the grape fields year-round. Looming in the background from 1965 to 1971 was the Delano grape strike and boycott.
A graduate of San Francisco State University, Nickie currently lives in San Francisco and has been working in the marketing/advertising field as a Project Manager for over 30 years. She is a volunteer member with the Filipino American National Historical Society (Delano and San Francisco Chapters) and helped launch their break-out events Bold Step: 50th Anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike; Delano Manongs Park Committee – coordinated the launching of the City of San Jose’s Delano Manongs Park, and Larry Itliong Unity Park Committee – currently preparing for the park’s opening.
Rudy Medina, PhD.he/him/el Director, Otter Cross Cultural Center Top: Farm laborers pose for photo in orchard.
California State University, Monterey Bay Bottom: Cesar Chavez with Larry Itliong
Event creator.
Presentation by Watsonville Is In The Heart – Mapping Project.