Something about the Pacific Northwest nurtures self-empowerment in its residents, be it an audacious coffee business, grunge music, or a totally new way of life.

Yes, Seattle is home to Starbucks, Nirvana, Boeing, and Microsoft. Seattle seems to nurture visionary pioneers and gifted innovators. The story of Filipinos in the Pacific Northwest is no exception.

This is about utopian Filipino American dreams to prosper where hard work is justly compensated, to marry whom they love, to live where they want and to educate their children.

At present over 87,000 Filipinos and Filipino Americans reside in Washington State, surpassing 72,135 Chinese Americans and 60,543 Vietnamese Americans. Clustered around the Seattle area, mainly in King, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties, Americans of Filipino descent contribute to its vibrant political, economic and cultural life.

Elusive American dream

Before the civil rights movement began in the South, Filipino Americans with other minority groups were challenging unjust labor practices and laws forbidding integration and interracial marriage. Carlos Bulosan, a child laborer when he arrived and later a victim of discrimination, became a prolific writer and participated in organizing labor unions.

His book, America is in the Heart is a gripping and poignant novel describing the struggles of a brown migrant worker in a white world. His life and work is enshrined at the Bulosan Memorial Exhibit Museum in Seattle's International District.

Through the gateway of Seattle Filipinos flowed into Alaska, where they now are the largest ethnic group. The earliest arrivals in the late 1700s were crewmembers aboard fur trading and whaling vessels. Later they worked to lay the underwater communications cables that linked Juneau, Alaska with Seattle, Washington. They also worked as gold mine sorters and then at the canneries. They were known as “Alaskeros.”

Filipino Activists

Despite violence and intimidation, Filipino labor organizers launched the Cannery and Farm Laborers Union in 1933 and ended an oppressive contractor system. Decades later, union reformers Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes were assassinated. Still the union endured. Today there are about 13,000 Filipinos in Alaska. Jeanette Campbell, a social worker, chairs the Alaska NaFFAA chapter.

Across Puget Sound, Bainbridge Island is a 25-minute ferry ride from Seattle. Filipinos who settled there were mill workers and farmers, who continued to work the land left by Japanese interned during World War II. Early Filipino settlers later intermarried with women from Canadian First Nations. Their descendents are known as “Indipinos.”

The Filipino Community Hall built in 1930 still stands and is now registered as a National Historic Site. Every year in June, Filipino and Indipino families grace their communities with cultural dances, food and festivities. Mary Dombroski, a documentary filmmaker with ties to the Philippines, produced Many Stories: One Community, Filipino-Americans on Bainbridge Island that includes stories of five Filipino-Americans whose lives are rooted in Bainbridge.

These stories included that of Teddi Balagot, an Indipino who last year attended the Third NaFFAA Regional Conference, where she shared some of her life as an Indipino in the island. Many of the families' descendants still live on Bainbridge Island. For more on these videos, including purchasing information, please visit the IslandWood Web site.

Just south of Washington is Oregon, where over 1,000 Filipinos settled in the 1930s. In the letter by Ernesto Mangaoang published in the Oregonian in 1931, he described Filipino ordeals under the same kind of discrimination in the workplace, restaurants,

neighborhoods, theaters and so forth. Now NaFFAA member State Chair Simeon Mamaril makes sure his community is an active and visible participant in all aspects of American life, especially in performing civic duties.

Despite their adapting well to the culture, discrimination of Filipinos remained rampant. Educated and capable Filipinos were pegged to work as janitors and laborers.

Ironically, instead of crushing the Filipino fighting spirit, activism was roused, not just in the Pacific Northwest but also across the nation.

Tide Turns

By the 1950s and ‘60s recognition of Filipino-American growth and contributions to society had begun. In 1957, Governor Albert Rossellini's unprecedented attendance at a luncheon hosted by the Pilipino Americans Citizens' League at the Washington Hotel validated its new status.

But as with any fast growing and ill-prepared society with no system support in place, immigration from the Philippines, Cuba, Vietnam and other countries gave rise to new social problems. These included domestic violence, gangs, and lack of diversity awareness in the workplace. Since Filipinos believe in taking care of their own, communities organized educational workshops on domestic violence and collaborated with the local police to reduce gang violence.

NAFFAA Region 7 actively participates in domestic violence prevention, youth leadership development and anti-discrimination city and state programs.

Breaking the glass ceiling

Filipinos continued to break the glass ceiling. To mention a few: Delores Sibonga, first member of the Seattle City Council; Bob Santos, regional representative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Velma Veloria, State Legislator 11th District; Alex Tizon of The Seattle Times reporting on fraud in Indian Housing programs and Byron Ocohido reporting on airplane safety both won Pulitzer Prizes in 1996.

Birth of NAFFAA

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations was founded in 1997 by then Philippine News publisher Alex Esclamado, TLC Beatrice Foods CEO Loida Lewis, nationally acclaimed guitarist Michael Dadap, and San Francisco State College Board President Rodel Rodis.

It now has over 500 member organizations and hundreds of individual members across the United States, Guam and the Marianas. The original mission and vision continue to guide its growth. NaFFAA unites Filipinos, Filipino Americans and Filipino American organizations to promote the welfare of all Filipinos across the continent .

On September 26-28 of this year, NaFFAA is convening in Seattle's Westin Hotel. The 8th Annual National Empowerment Conference purports to bring together Filipino and Filipino American community leaders, advocates and innovators of all ages. Together they will assess the current status of the Filipino community. The conference aims to inject more vigor through the workshops and assemblies, and demonstrate a solid

presence of over 500 strong attendees from its 12 regions.

"Getting a consensus from hundreds of intelligent, highly successful members of NaFFAA is not easy, at times frustrating but, I expect no less. That's what bright and high achievers do – they voice their opinion without hesitation. It's work I don't mind because in the end, we always come together for the greater good. I have been getting calls from most regions now offering their input, workshops. I know the stress is worth the gain, as a community," offered Mariela Fletcher, overall Conference Chair.

"We have to remind our fellow Filipinos that much of the labor and civil rights we enjoy now is owed to the heroic efforts of Washingtonians before us. We must continue the work they entrusted in us. Yes, sometimes speaking as one voice is extremely challenging but it is the only way. Right now, NaFFAA is the national organization recognized by Washington policy-makers", NaFFAA National Chair Alma Q. Kern emphasized. Watch her say so on YouTube.

NaFFAA region 7, host to the 8th National Empowerment Conference is composed of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. For more information and online registration, go to www.naffaa.org

Ning Rogge is a freelance writer and a blogger, as well as Conference Media Chair and Region 7 Media Director. Read her writings and public contributions on www.ningrogge.com .

You can also view her interviews about issues affecting Filipinos around the world here.