ISANG BAGSAK!
It is a phrase that means that if someone falls, we all fall, and if someone rises, we all rise! It is a reminder of the sacrifices that those who came before us made to give us what we have today.
The FSU (Filipino Student Union), Kababayan, and Puente held space in the Intercultural Center for two days last week for a collaborative film viewing and discussion of the critical documentary, The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers Movement, directed by Marissa Aroy. The viewings were held at the intersection of Latinx History Month and Filipino History Month to celebrate our collective histories and cultures. We shared lumpia and taquitos as we watched and discussed The Delano Manongs. This short but inspiring documentary talks about the joint efforts of the Mexican and Filipino farmworkers in Delano as they faced years of hardships and unfair treatment from farm owners. This film taught us more about how the United Farm Workers started as a collective strike to gain farmworker rights and improve working conditions in Delano, California in 1965.
We learned that the “United” of United Farm Workers was uniting Filipino and Mexican workers. We also learned that Filipino farm workers, especially Larry Itliong, were crucial in persuading the Mexican workers, led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, to join the striking Filipino farmworkers. After a grueling multi-year strike, the workers finally gained the right to unionize and a contract for all workers. After watching the film, we saw the similarities between the Hispanic and Filipino communities and how their cultural traditions strengthened them. We also learned how Larry Itliong was forgotten throughout. After the strike, this film helped us acknowledge his importance to the farmworker movement and the formation of the farmworker’s union, the UFW, which continues advocating for farmworkers’ rights.
This documentary was an eye-opener for our generation, who must fight for what is right and continue to live and relive the fusion of our cultures so that they will not be forgotten.
ISANG BAGSAK! SI SE PUEDE! Together, we are stronger!
Written by Tasia Lugtu, Crystal Rangel-Cruz, and Cem Quinto
Flyer created by Crystal Rangel-Cruz