Antioch City Council proclaims October 2026 Filipino American History Month

The Antioch City Council in California unanimously approved a proclamation on 27 October naming October 2026 Filipino American History Month, citing the 1587 Morro Bay landing and Filipino American trailblazers in public office.

The Antioch City Council unanimously approved a proclamation at its meeting on Tuesday 27 October 2026 declaring October 2026 Filipino American History Month in the City of Antioch, the Antioch Herald reported. Mayor Ron Bernal issued the proclamation.

What the proclamation says

The proclamation notes that the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States came on 18 October 1587, when "Luzones Indios" came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza at what is now Morro Bay, California.

It recalls that Filipino American History Month was first celebrated in October 1992, that the US Congress declared October as Filipino American History Month in 2009, and that President Obama held the first White House celebration in 2015.

The council also recognised that Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the nation and the third largest ethnic group in California, and named the late Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii, the first Filipino American elected to public office, and the late Thelma Garcia Buchholdt of Alaska, the first Filipina American elected to a US legislature, as pioneers who inspired others to pursue public service.

Wisevoter said the proclamation aligns local recognition with the national observance and highlights the contributions of Filipino Americans in Antioch and across the country.

Subscribe to newsletter