FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Official Ribbon-Cutting for Delano Manongs Park to Honor the Contributions of the Filipino American Community in the Farmworker Labor Movement in the 1960s and Beyond
SAN JOSE, CA – The first public park in the country named in honor of the Delano Manongs, Filipino American migrant workers who fought for farmworker rights and justice in the 1960s, will host its official opening ceremony on Saturday, November 5, 2022 from 2:30-4PM at Gimelli Way and Beechnut Drive in San José, California. Featured speakers include Berryessa Union School District Trustee Thelma Boac, Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) National President Dr. Kevin Nadal, Assistant PRNS Director for the City of San José Neil Rufino, and San José City Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco.
Making history, the naming of Delano Manongs Park was confirmed in April 2021 following a several months long community input process from local residents. Across two separate polls, Delano Manongs Park (DMP) collected the most votes to be considered as the name of the newly-built park in East San José.
Daniel Lazo, LEAD Filipino and Filipino Youth Coalition (FYC) member and lifelong East San Jose resident submitted the entry “Delano Manongs Park” in 2020. Daniel states, “Growing up, I would drive by the empty field every day. Knowing that the Eastside community has a large Filipino American population and that the Manongs are a part of our living legacy in fighting for workers rights and racial justice, I submitted the name for consideration.”
Working to build community awareness around DMP and the legacy of the Manongs, LEAD Filipino and the FANHS Santa Clara Valley Chapter (SCV) established the grassroots Delano Manongs Park (DMP) Committee. A multi-generational coalition of educators, historians, advocates, nonprofit workers and students, the DMP Committee has hosted numerous fundraisers and cultural events to support the Park. Most recently, the DMP Committee organized a public film screening of Marissa Aroy’s “Delano Manongs” to spread the stories of the Manongs in connection to the new park.
In response to the community’s growing excitement, Ann Reginio, President of local FANHS-SCV shares the importance of sharing the histories of Filipino American contributions, “We must pass these stories on to our youth and future generations. Caring for and maintaining Delano Manongs Park will be among one of the many lasting legacies that honor the Manongs’ courage and activist spirits.”
Historic Delano Manongs Park (DMP) will host an official Ribbon Cutting with the City of San José at Gimelli Way and Beechnut Drive on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in San José, California. This historic occasion will begin a series of community-led initiatives to cultivate and grow DMP. The event is free and open to all members of the public.
To learn more about Delano Manongs Park and the grassroots efforts to cultivate this public space, click here.
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Contact Information:
LEAD Filipino
Angelica Cortez
408.614.8734
angelica@leadfilipino.org
