ABOUT US – LEAD FILIPINO

LEAD Filipino is a national nonprofit organization focused on advancing the civic engagement, health equity, and grassroots action of Filipina/x/o and broader AAPI communities.

Established in 2015, the organization operates in Silicon Valley, across California, and through chapters in San Antonio and Las Vegas. Rooted in our mission, we create systems and provide programs that combine art, culture and power building to support our community in building civic pipelines, political knowledge, and economic development initiatives.

Our grassroots campaigns and organizing efforts have led to conducting the first Filipino Cancer Survey in Santa Clara County, the naming of Delano Manongs Park in East San José, and producing the first Filipino Advocacy Day with the FIERCE Coalition in Sacramento.

Each year, we serve thousands of community members across our cities and chapters. Learn more about our programs and events here.

Our Focus Areas:

Civic Engagement

We work to increase the civic literacy of our community so that they hold the confidence to see themselves serving in public leadership. Through hosting regular workshops, we aim to democratize government and civic spaces by educating our members on Public Commissions and Boards, Grassroots Campaigns, Legislative Advocacy and Elected Office.

Culturally Responsive Education

We recognize that at a population of ~1.5 million, the Filipina/x/o community’s collective impact to enact positivity and influence is great. We work to curate, cultivate, and create empowerment opportunities for all of our members. We believe that everyone should have a basis of understanding of their community’s shared identity, history, and contributions to the American tapestry. Evidence supports that a sense of one’s ethnic and racial history deepens their self-confidence, self-empowerment, and furthermore connection to leadership in our celebration of diversity and multiculturalism. Due to these guiding values, Cultural Education/Filipino Studies is one of LEAD Filipino’s major program areas. These services include our Annual Fly Pinays Leadership Summit and Spring Training.

Health Equity Initiatives

We provide regular community health presentations, workshops and seminars on relevant issues to the Filipina/x/o community, including sessions on Accessing Public Systems of Care, Mental and Behavioral Health and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Grassroots Campaigns & Leadership

We build and manage local and grassroots grassroots campaigns on issues of social wellbeing, civil rights, education and public safety. Involving our members in the coalition building, messaging and interaction with the public, we aim to deepen the capacity and confidence of our students and families to drive our mission forward.

Local Activation

We organize together with partners to bring local Filipino history, arts and cultural events to San Jose and the larger Silicon Valley Region. Every October, during Filipino American History Month (FAHM), we help produce a series of San Jose events that promote our Filipino culture, food, history and traditions to the general public.

Our Values:
We steward, raise, and promote our work through the guiding values of Social Justice. These values inform and shape our ethos, hearts, and minds, which thereby influences our programs, services, and the initiatives we participate in:

Access
Equity
Participation
Human Dignity