WHEREAS, the University of California, Los Angeles Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC), authored by Conrad Contreras, unanimously passed a similar resolution1 on March 31st, 2015; and,

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez Day celebrates America’s history and victory in the fight for farm workers’ and laborers’ rights to fair treatment and fair wages2; and,

WHEREAS, Pilipino farm workers have contributed invaluably to the farm worker movement and to the creation and accomplishments of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW)3; and,

WHEREAS, During the first 30 years of the twentieth century, over 100,000 men left the Philippines for the U.S. By 1930, Pilipino farm workers made up approximately 15% of all California farm workers, nearly all asparagus farm workers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, and approximately 80% of the Salinas Valley lettuce crop workers4; and,

WHEREAS, In the 1930s and 1940s, Pilipino laborers in California began aggressively organizing various unions and associations, and engaged in successful strikes throughout the state; and,

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), Pilipino farm workers initiated a five-year strike in the Delano grape fields on September 8th, 1965, which would become the most important date in the history of the farm worker movement5; and,

WHEREAS, In 1966, AWOC, under the leadership of Larry Dulay Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association, under the leadership of Cesar Chavez, merged and formed the UFW Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO; and,

WHEREAS, Pilipino labor leaders have greatly contributed to the historic formation of the UFW and the accomplishments of  the union such as the passage in California of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975 which ensures peace in the agricultural fields by guaranteeing justice for all agricultural workers and stability in labor relations6; and,

WHEREAS, the story of how the Pilipino American labor leaders and workers helped create the farmworker labor movement has been greatly ignored by national and international media including the Cesar Chavez movie7; and,

WHEREAS, a new documentary titled, Delano Manongs, interrogates the erasure of Filipinos from the farmworkers movement and presents the story from the point of view of the leader of the movement himself, Larry Itliong8; and,

WHEREAS, on October 2nd, 2013, California State Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 123 (AB 123) into law requiring K-12 curriculum in the social sciences include instruction of the contribution of Pilipino Americans to the farm labor movement9; and,

WHEREAS, on October 12th, 2013, a mural dedicated to the struggles of Pilipino farm workers and labor organizers who advocated for improved labor conditions in California was unveiled at the Milpitas Library Auditorium; and,

WHEREAS, on December 1st, 2014, Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) announced a bill honoring Larry Itliong, AB 7, establishing Larry Itliong Day as a day of special significance in California to commemorate all Pilipino workers especially, Pilipino Farm Laborers10; and,

LET IT BE RESOLVED, that ASUCI Legislative Council, recognize the contribution of Pilipin@ farm workers in the Delano Labor Movement; and,

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that ASUCI Legislative Council, recognize Larry Itliong as a leader in the Delano Labor Movement along with Cesar Chavez; and,

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that the ASUCI Legislative Council urges the Office of Executive Vice President to work in collaboration with Kababayan at UCI with campaigns and programming relating to AB 7 and pushing forward in establishing a firm foundation for Ethnic Studies and Pilipin@ Studies at UCI and,

LET BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the following: Janet Napolitano, University of California President; Howard Gillman, University of California, Irvine Chancellor, Rameen Talesh, Dean of Students and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Life and Leadership; Michael P. Clark, Executive Vice Chancellor and Interim Provost; Thomas A. Parham, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs; Rob Banta, California District 18 Assembly Member; and Mark Pullido, Mayor of Cerritos.

1https://www.usac.ucla.edu/documents/resolutions/AResolutiontoRecognizetheContributionofPilipinoFarmWorkersintheDelanoLaborMovement.pdf

2http://www.cesarchavezholiday.org/

3https://www.laprogressive.com/cesar-chavez-day-and-the-forgotten-asian-americans

4http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/03-04/bill/asm/ab_0201-0250/acr_213_cfa_20040622_114434_sen_comm.html

5https://www.laprogressive.com/cesar-chavez-day-and-the-forgotten-asian-americans

6http://www.pbs.org/itvs/fightfields/cesarchavez1.html

7 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bino-a-realuyo/dear-filipino-organizers-cesar-chaves_b_5019283.html

8 http://www.delanomanongs.com/about

9http://asmdc.org/members/a18/news-room/press-releases/governor-signs-bonta-s-filipino-american-farm-worker-bill-ab-123

10http://asmdc.org/members/a18/news-room/press-releases/bonta-introduces-legislation-establishing-larry-itliong-day-in-california