Weaving the history of Filipino America
We’ve always been here
For over four centuries, Filipino Americans have been threading their stories into the American cultural fabric. Now, our voices are rising like never before.
Our Portland story begins in 1693 as told by oral histories of the Nehalem-Tillamook and Clatsop peoples, when Filipino sailors aboard the Santo Cristo de Burgos were shipwrecked on the Oregon shores near Nehalem Spit.
Through waves of immigration and decades of community building, we've grown from six founding families forming the Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity in 1959, to 7,000 some Filipinos in 1997—many arriving as students who took whatever work they could find.
Today, our community has blossomed into a vibrant community of over 42,000 in the metro area. Nationally, we are 4.4 million strong, leading in healthcare, technology, education, and creative industries.
From food to arts, media & entertainment, Filipinos in America are breaking through the cultural zeitgeist. We’re taking up space, making waves, shaking up the status quo, and shaping what it means to be Filipino in America today.
Both in Portland, Oregon and on the national scale, our people are growing in influence and visibility. We’re no longer passive participants in history; we're weaving it.
DIWA emerges at this pivotal moment, when our community's deep American roots meet our expanding cultural influence, creating a publication that honors where we've been while celebrating where we're going.
Threads of Our Story
Every culture’s story is woven from countless individual threads. This timeline traces how Filipino Americans have been threading our experiences into the American cultural fabric for over four centuries. Like the intricate patterns in traditional Filipino textiles, each era adds color and texture to our collective story, all adding richness to the tapestry we call Filipino America.
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1587: First documented Filipinos arrive in Morro Bay, California aboard Spanish galleons
1693: Santo Cristo de Burgos shipwrecks off Oregon coast, marking earliest Filipino presence in Pacific Northwest
1760s: Filipino fishermen establish settlement in St. Malo, Louisiana - America's first known Filipino community -
1898: Spanish-American War brings Philippines under U.S. control, enabling large-scale migration
1906: First wave of Filipino laborers (sakadas) arrive in Hawaii for sugar plantations - over 100,000 by 1930
1920s: Filipino farmworkers migrate to California's Central Valley, becoming backbone of agricultural labor force
1924: Immigration Act bars other Asians but allows Filipinos as "U.S. nationals" -
1934: Tydings-McDuffie Act promises Philippine independence but limits Filipino immigration to 50 per year
1930s: Filipino workers face violent discrimination during Great Depression
1941–1945: Over 250,000 Filipinos serve alongside U.S. forces in WWII, earning pathway to citizenship -
1965: Immigration Act removes national quotas, opening doors for Filipino professionals
1970s–80s: Massive influx of Filipino nurses, doctors, and healthcare workers–now 25% of foreign-born nurses in U.S.
1975: Filipino Americans become largest Asian American group in several states -
1965: Larry Itliong leads Filipino farmworkers in Delano Grape Strike alongside César Chávez
1966: United Farm Workers union forms from Filipino and Mexican labor collaboration
1970s: Filipino Americans organize in healthcare, maritime, and service industries -
1992: Filipino American History Month established
1990s: Filipino Americans become second-largest Asian American group nationally
2000s: Strong community organizations form in major metropolitan areas
2009: U.S. Congress officially recognizes Filipino American History Month -
2010s: Filipino food gains coverage in media on shows like Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations”
2018: Los Angeles-based restaurant Lasa named Restaurant of the Year by Food & Wine
2020: US Census records 4.4 million Filipinos, growing 29.9% since 2010
2021: Maria Ressa wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in safeguarding freedom of expression
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Filipino Americans have reached a cultural inflection point in 2026. With 4.4 million people wielding $15+ billion in buying power, the community has both the economic foundation and cultural confidence to demand representation that matches their reality. Today's Filipino Americans have mastered cultural fusion as genuine expression, from EZ Mil earning Eminem's attention to Ruby Ibarra's trilingual rap, proving you can be fully Filipino AND fully American without compromise. Yet no high-quality publication exists to serve this community.
