CARSON – According to a resolution passed by the Carson City Council in October, the Larry Itliong Day will now be celebrated on October 25 every year within the city’s borders.
October 25, 2013 would have been Larry Itliong’s 100th birthday. He passed away in 1977, at the age of 63 in Delano, California.
The resolution was officially presented to the public on Monday night, Dec. 16, at the Carson City Hall, together with a memorial photograph of the farm workers movement leader for posterity.
Johnny, son of Larry Itliong, handed the framed resolution and memento to Carson City Mayor Jim Dear and Mayor Pro Tempore Elito Santarina, during a ceremonial presentation of proclamations at the Helen Kawagoe Council Chambers.
According to the younger Itliong, the resolution makes the celebration a permanent annual event in the city, as opposed to just a proclamation that enacts the celebration only for the year.
“We don’t have to do a proclamation every year,” Johnny said to Asian Journal in an interview, “The proclamation proclaims it for the year, and a resolution is from this time on, forward [sic].”
Three years ago, the City of Carson was the first government body to issue a proclamation in Larry Itliong’s name, Johnny said. Shortly after that, the County of Los Angeles followed suit with a resolution.
“The importance is that people are recognizing Larry for who he was and what he did. So this is another step forward,” said Johnny.
Along with the recognition, Johnny said an awareness for his father’s work and advocacy will get through to more and more people.
Johnny expressed his thanks and appreciation to the “core group of people” who gave considerable amounts of support in advocating for the the resolution to be passed, as well as for other Larry Itliong-related activities that “educate and reach out and touch more people.”
Sponsored by Santarina, the resolution also urges Carson residents to celebrate Larry Itliong Day in their own way.
“We would like our citizens to know, especially our young people, to know that there was a Larry Itliong who is worth of all praise and honor, just as we give praise and honor to Martin Luther King, to Cesar Chavez. There is also the pride of the Filipino race, a great farm labor leader in the person of Larry Itliong,” Santarina said.
Big year
Johnny also said that 2013 been “a huge movement forward.”
In May, the Alvarado Middle School in Union City was renamed to Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School, after labor leaders Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz. It is the first school in the US to be named after Filipino-Americans.
In San Diego, school district there issued a resolution that designated a Larry Itliong Day in October.
Johnny also visited Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima, and Wapato in Washington state, where local resolutions were passed to recognize his father’s legacy.
On December 13, in Los Angeles, the first building, named after Larry Itliong in Historic Filipinotown, was officially opened to the public.
Under the care of the Pilipino Workers’ Center, the Larry Itliong Village offers affordable housing, community spaces, and other venues for social service.
At the State Assembly, Assembly Bill 123 was passed, thanks to Filipino-American Assemblymember Rob Bonta’s tireless work. The bill is effectively a proposed law that would require social science curriculums to include instruction on the contributions of Filipino-Americans to the Farm Labor movement. Itliong, Vera Cruz, and Pete Velasco all played critical roles in this important period in California’s history.
“These are just reinforcements to who Larry was,” Johnny said.
Gollayan Sisters, other Filipinos lauded by city
The Carson City Council also issued proclamations and certificates of recognition in appreciation of the accomplishments and civic work done by Filipino community members.
Among them were the Gollayan Sisters, a Filipino vocal group that was crowned as the Senior Grand Champion Vocal Group in the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in Los Angeles in July. The sisters, after receiving the certificate of recognition, performed their WCOPA winning piece, Somewhere by Barbara Streisand.
The eldest Gollayan sister, Almira, said that it was a big blessing to be recognized by the City of Carson.
“We’ve been here in the US for some time now, but we didn’t expect that someone would appreciate and recognize our talent,” she said in Tagalog.
According to Almira, the sisters just got their entertainment visa a couple of weeks ago. She added that they are now open to discussing future performances and concerts with interested producers.
“Our petitioner is a charity [foundation], so half of the proceeds of our concerts would go to Filipino children’s charity,” she added.
Irene Gollayan said that they have received many “inquiries” for benefit concerts, as early as the first quarter of 2014. She said that the group is eager to help raise funds for the typhoon victims because the Taclobanons were ‘the best audience’ they ever had.
Aside from the sisters, other Filipinos recognized by the city include a local Fil-Am group (for helping keep a local park clean), and Negros Occidental councilman Steve S. Teves (for his dedication to public service).
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend December 21-24, 2013 Sec A pg.1)
