Shadows on Main Street – Review

Photograph: Richard Villegas, Cathy Chavez-Miller, and Jess Tabasa have their memoirs in Shadows on Main Street, along with eight other contributors. Photo by Jean Vengua

The Salinas Californian recently published a review by Joanna Brauer of our book, Shadows on Main Street.  Excerpt:

“Shadows on Main Street”, Memoirs, Vol. 1., by The Filipino National Historical Society, Monterey Bay Chapter, Edited by Jean Vengua, published by My Express Printer, Salinas, available through FANHS; call 831-751-3024.

This slim publication is an appealing selection of vignettes describing the Filipino experience in Monterey County communities dating back 100 years.

The ten contributors present some family histories of the “forgotten Asian Americans.”

—-Joanna Brauer

Read the entire review here: Book Review: Shadows on Main Street. To get your copy of the book, call the phone # above, or contact Richard Villegas at mrvinsembach@aol.com  or Jean Vengua at okir2k@gmail.com.

 

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Shadows on Main Street

FANHS Monterey Bay recently published Shadows on Main Street. Named after the essay by Jess Tabasa, it contains twelve memoirs by members and friends of the Monterey Bay Chapter of FANHS.

In the introduction, Richard Villegas (President of the Monterey Bay Chapter) writes: “This book contains stories that we recall as children growing up in Salinas and the surrounding areas. Time and age cause memories to fade, but these stories are what the members recall in their younger days. In reading these stories, I hope you can say ‘I remember that place,’ ‘my mom or dad did that,’ and ‘it was fun back in the day’; but, most of all, I hope the stories put a smile on your face.”

Come to the 10th Annual Salinas Chinatown Asian Festival on April 29, and pick up your copy of Shadows on Main Street at the Filipino Community Center on Calle Cebu Street!

FANHS Meeting & Presentation

The next FANHS Monterey Bay/Tri-County meeting will be tomorrow, 10:30 a.m. at St. Philip’s Church (new location), 1101 N. Main St., Salinas, CA 93906. Thomas Esmeralda will give an audio-visual presentation on the Significance of the Filipino Church. He writes that “The history of the church I grew up in is completely intertwined with Filipino American history in the Salinas Valley. For Filipino immigrants it was the first place of religious worship in the area where they were openly welcome.” Visitors are welcome to attend! Thomas Esmeralda is Vice President of FANHS Monterey Bay/Tri-County, and will begin teaching at CSUMB this Fall.

FANHS Benefit Yard Sale

Tomorrow. FANHS Multi-family yard sale: Saturday, August 6. It’s from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 222 E. Romie Lane, Salinas. Clothes, furniture, appliances, and more. Benefits FANHS: the Filipino American National Historical Society of the Monterey Bay and Tri-County Areas. FANHS has been a long-time partner of ACE.

FANHS Monterey Bay & Tri-County Celebrates Filipino American History Month with Filipino Food

Celebrating Filipino American History Month, FANHS Monterey Bay & Tri-County Area will feature a talk by Grace Mauricio about Filipino Food — followed by a Filipino potluck! At the Mauricio residence in Salinas, on Saturday, October 10, at 10:30 a.m. For directions to the talk and meal, contact Jean Vengua: okir2k@gmail.com

Salinas Valley Labor Camps

Recently, FANHS Monterey Bay Area featured Al Baguio and Clem Morales, who gave a talk on Salinas Valley Labor Camps. They included information about a little known topic: Filipino tenant farming in the Salinas Valley. A short clip of Al Baguio talking about Filipino labor camps is included here:

Pre-WWII Filipino American Newspapers

On Saturday, June 13, 2015, Jean Vengua, a member of FANHS Monterey Bay, and Co-Chair of ACE, will be giving a talk on Pre-WWII Filipino newspapers published on the West Coast, with a special focus on the Philippines Mail, published out of Salinas — the longest running Filipino newspaper published in the U.S. (from 1920s to the 1980s).

WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2015, 12:30 pm.
WHERE: Filipino Community Center, 2nd Floor, on Calle Cebu St., Salinas. The event will take place during the FANHS general meeting. Come and learn about Filipino American history at this event.