White House celebrates Filipino American History Month
Loida Nicolas Lewis, author of ‘Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?’ and CEO, Reginald Lewis Foundation.
By Loida Nicolas Lewis
On November 28, 2023 for the first time, the Biden Presidency celebrated Filipino American History Month (FAHM) with an in-person attendance of 100 FilAms at the White House.
In 2021 and 2022, the Office of President Biden presented only a roundtable discussion with 20 FilAms at the White House due to the pandemic.
However in 2023, FilAm political leader and civic engagement & electoral practitioner since the Clinton Administration Vida Benavides dared to ask Erika Moritsugu, deputy assistant to the President and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) senior liaison, whether she would accept a proposal for a full-blown celebration of FAHM in the White House. Vida was welcomed to submit a proposal.
October is Filipino American History Month, established by the U.S. Congress in 2009, due to the work done by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) founded by the late Dr. Fred Cordova and his wife, Dorothy. Why October? The first recorded arrival of Filipinos – known then as “Luzones Indios”– was in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.
Vida then called up producer/director Ted Benito, who helped in the Biden campaign in 2019, to submit a full-blown proposal which he submitted in May, 2023 to Erika Moritsugu.
Months went by without a confirmation from the White House.
When Ted learned from JoAnn Fields, San Diego community leader and government affairs expert that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was coming to San Diego, California in August, Ted went to the event and personally spoke to the First Lady’s staff about his proposal for FAHM.
In September, Vida tapped her colleague, Irene Bueno, government and policy adviser who was a Clinton appointee and worked in the West Wing.She knows the ins and outs of the White House.
Finally on November 6, the White House Office of Personal Engagement Senior Advisor Philip Kim confirmed the FAHM would happen on November 28, after Congress approved the budget, which avoided the shutdown of the government in October.
The ad hoc committee composed of Vida Benavides, Ted Benito, JoAnn Fields and Irene Bueno went to work feverishly. Because the event was assigned the Indian Treaty Room which holds only 100 people, they had to trim the invitation list of 800 FilAm elected officials, White House appointees, not-for-profit officers of national organizations, personalities in arts and entertainment, sports, labor, military, and the food industry.
Ted was able to connect with long-time friends Lou Diamond Phillips and Tia Carrere who agreed to serve as co-emcees. Actors Jennifer Paz, Reggie Lee, and Jules Aurora all agreed to present various segments, and singerChris Chatman agreed to perform a musical number.
Thus, in the chilling morning weather of November 28, some FilAm leaders glorious in their Filipiniana attire, trekked to the White House Executive Office. President Joe and First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris were in Atlanta, Georgia attending the funeral services for former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Two Asian American Cabinet secretaries came to speak: Labor Secretary Julie Su and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai. The highest ranking FilAm in the Biden administration, Nani Coloretti, deputy secretary of Budget and Management also addressed the audience.
Lou Diamond Phillips spoke about Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) which advocated the creation of the Filipino American History Month since its foundation.
Ted also got his superb AV producer Emmanuel Munda to present the video of FilAms who have raised the FilAm profile through their achievements in all sectors of American society. The photos and research came from Ted’s company, LXV Enterprises, LLC.
Aside from creating the program, the expenses for the event including the lunch provided by Purple Patch restaurant had to be raised. White House provided the space but all other expenses were taken care of by the FAHM ad hoc committee.
To the rescue came sponsors to the event: CALIDA Inc. (Alan and Megan Camaisa), the FilipinoFood Movement (Sonia Delen), theApl.de.Ap Foundation International (Audie Vergara), the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation and many other donors.
Next year, Vida Benavides remarked to me that the White House FAHM celebration should be taken over by a national organization like the Filipino American National Historical Society or other civic engagement and cultural arts-based coalitions.
