Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, declared October 25, 2024, as Larry Itliong Day for all Californians.
Who is Larry Itliong? Many of us agriculturalists, unless you directly worked with Itliong or frequented the Central Valley Community, wouldn’t know of him from names glance. It’s unfortunate, but direct blame for that has come from the lack of representation Filipinos have had in our history texts and the problematic occupation of the Philippines by the U.S. (from 1898 to 1946), essentially shunning Filipinos’ stories from the American fabric.
In 2009, the United States declared Filipino American Heritage Month (FAHM), a national month of celebration for Filipinos. This uplifting shift in status for Filipinos in our country also elevated the stories of many Filipinos, including the stories of Itilong.
Itliong, a Filipino American labor organizer and civil rights activist, played a central role in the founding of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. Alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, Itliong initiated the strikes that transformed labor rights for millions of farm workers and beyond. Now, the UFW continues the work of these titans of advocacy, walking in the footsteps of their tribulation and challenge to reach a more equitable movement forward.
Itliong began his journey in agriculture in Seattle at the Alaska Canneries, where he witnessed the injustice at play. When he traveled to Monroe, Washington, to work in the lettuce fields, Itliong had enough of the injustices. With much push back, he organized. In the 1930s, he gathered 1,500 farm laborers and began the Monroe Washington Lettuce strike. In Alaska, he also began the Alaska Cannery Workers Union, aiding thousands of cannery workers to unionize to negotiate better conditions for the cannery workers. In 1933, he ventured toward the southwest, settling in California where he helped organize farm workers in the Salinas Valley, working with similar crops as those in Monroe.
In the mid-1940s and early ’50s, Itliong made it to Stockton, California. Alongside Phillip Vera Cruz, Itliong organized asparagus farm laborers to strike against unfair treatment. In 1956, Itliong established the Filipino Farm Labor Union (FFLU). His efforts leading that organization led him to farming communities up and down the state, where Filipino workers became inspired to rise up and advocate for themselves and better treatment. Itliong was asked to organize for the Agricultural Workers’ Organizing Committee (AWOC), a newly chartered union in the AFL-CIO in 1959.
His advocacy kept rolling, spreading to Delano where he met and worked with Chavez and Huerta; his most notable win being the establishment if the UFW with them.
Itliong is now cemented into California history with a calendar date. However, his cementation in history is more than just what he did, but why he did it.
“Isang Bagsak!” We are all connected in our fight for justice, and we rise and fall together.
Itliong and the Manongs’ saying shares Itliong’s why: community, justice for community, and doing what we do for each other together. Newsom said: I “do hereby proclaim October 25, 2024 “Larry Itliong Day”, citing Itliong’s “hard fought battles, [which] helped advance farmworkers rights and social justice in California and beyond.”
For Hispanic Heritage Month and Filipino American History Month, I played the Cesar Chavez film in my agricultural chemistry class. I watched as my students took notes and were moved by what they saw — moved by the dedication and strength of Chavez. At the end of the bio flick, Chavez signs an agreement with table grape growers to provide better treatment for the farm laborers. As this occurred, the film quickly viewed Itliong and then moved back to Chavez. This was the last view of Itliong in the film, standing behind Chavez. I would like to believe the film didn’t do enough justice and reflects the need for media and art forms to do more to elevate the voices of marginalized farm laborers in the United States.
As we celebrate Filipino American Heritage Month, we lift up the experience of Itliong. The more of us that can mark our calendars, spread the word, even show our students and/or families their actions, the more the history of Filipino farm laborers can grow.
To the rising sung hero, Larry Itliong.
Bre Holbert is a past National FFA President and studied agriculture science and education at California State-Chico. “Two ears to listen is better than one mouth to speak. Two ears allow us to affirm more people, rather than letting our mouth loose to damage people’s story by speaking on behalf of others.”
