SENATE RESOLUTION
8635
By Senators King, Fortunato, Hasegawa, and Torres
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 5865 was passed by the Washington state legislature in 2019, permanently making October of each year Filipino American History Month; and
WHEREAS, In a celebration held in Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2024, American history was enriched when three Filipino leaders of the Farm Workers labor movement, Larry Itliong, Peter Velasco, and Philip Vera Cruz, were inducted into the Hall of Fame of the United States Department of Labor; and
WHEREAS, Washington state is home for over 185,000 Filipinos, the fifth largest population in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Washington state is the locale of historic cities for Filipino-Americans, including Wapato, Auburn, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Pateros, Seattle, and Tacoma; Seattle is the location of the national office of the Filipino American National Historical Society; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative that Filipino American youth and Asian, Pacific Islander, and other members of our diverse communities celebrate the work and contributions of professional educators to our state and country; and
WHEREAS, Filipino American educators have made invaluable and lasting contributions to public education and other fields of instruction in the state of Washington; and
WHEREAS, Washington state is the home of legendary educators of Filipino ancestry, including Dr. Manuel Rustia, Dr. Roy Flores, Dr. Fred and Dorothy Cordova, Val Laigo, Professor Rose DeGracia, Cesar DeGracia, Peter Bacho, Dr. Pio DeCano II, Andres Tangalan, Judith Savedra, Robert Flor, Zenaida Crisostomo-Slemp, Lee Noble, Zavic Batarao, Dr. Third Andresen, Devin Cabinilla, Benjamin Dar, Dr. Michael Castillano, Genevieve Fernandez, Dr. Anthony Ogilvie, Robert Sotelo, Rick Baldoz, Evelyn Velasco, and many others. They represent teaching excellence in the fields of business, K-12 and higher education instruction, nursing, arts and literature, educational administration, and Filipino American Ethnic Studies;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate of the state of Washington hereby recognize and urge the citizens of the state of Washington to celebrate the valued contribution of Filipino-American Educators to the state of Washington during Filipino-American History Month in October of 2025, and thereafter; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution shall be forwarded to Rey Pascua, Emeritus Commissioner of CAPAA, to Maricres Castro, Immigration Committee of the City of Tacoma, to the National Office of the Filipino American Historical Society, and to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for distribution to public schools and libraries, to historical societies and civic organizations, and to Asian and Pacific American Communities.