Speaker 3: Councilman Andrews. Okay.
Speaker 2: Motion carries and item 16, please.
Speaker 3: Communication from Council Member Ranga Council Member Pearce Vice Miriam Richardson. Recommendation to request that the City Council commemorate human rights advocate, farmworker and labor organizer Larry Itliong by declaring October 25th as Larry Itliong Day in the city of Long Beach.
Speaker 2: Councilor Marie Income.
Speaker 7: Thank you, Mayor. I want to start by thanking the members of the Human Relations Commission Civil War here today for bringing this forward. I want to also thank the contributions of Larry Itliong and coming and recommending that the city council recognize his efforts by declaring Larry Itliong day in Long Beach. Very really on with. Worker movement. Back in the 1940s and fifties, he worked long say to that Chavez during a time when Filipinos and other immigrant immigrant farmworkers were working to fight discrimination and low wages. He was a prominent leader and one of the greatest social justice movements in the United States of America. He organized a group of 1500 Filipinos to strike against grape growers of Delano, California and continued on that strike for eight days. He unified farm workers to combine forces and establish the United Farm Workers of America Organizing Committee of the AFL-CIO, which led to the United Farm Workers of America, one of the greatest unions in the history of the nation. The unification of worker, farm, labor workers, of different ethnicities was unprecedented at that time. Setting an example for future generations of working workers and organizers and proving to be one of the reasons for the success of the American Farm Worker Farm Labor Movement. The month of October is designated as Filipino American History Month, and with a population of over 30,000 people of Filipino desert Long Beach, it is fitting to recognize Larry Itliong for his role in California and United States history. And I would like to recognize his contributions by proclaiming October 25 as Larry Itliong Day in the city of Long Beach. Thank you.
Speaker 2: Vice Mayor Richardson.
Speaker 8: Just want to thank Councilmember U. Ranga for for this gesture. I'm glad I'm happy to support it. And I know that the the Filipino migrant community played a large role in the farmworker movement. And I think it's fitting that that we go ahead and dedicate this day, October 25th, to Mr. Itliong. Thanks.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Any public comment on this item? It's going on, everybody. So I'm trying to catch my breath. I just came from the library. So my name is Jerry. Good evening. City Council and Mayor Robert Garcia.
Speaker 6: Oh, okay.
Speaker 4: Okay.
Speaker 2: So my name is Jerry Jimenez. I'm a youth organizer with Annabi and Long Beach, Filipino youth and student organization that aims to educate, organize and mobilize Filipino youth on issues that affect them every day. So since some of you all may or may not know, October is Filipino American History Month. Filipinos have always been a part of this country's history ever since. You know, they are the first to arrive from the arrival of the first Filipinos in Morro Bay, California, in the 1500s to the great fields of Delano, California, and to the Filipinos that settled here in Long Beach. Being born and raised here in Long Beach as a Filipino American, I never learned anything about my culture, my people and the contributions of Filipinos in the U.S.. So I wish that, you know, I learned about Filipino American heroes when I was younger and my whole life, you know, I learned about Cesar Chavez. And I never really knew that Filipinos had an important role in the grape strike. So it wasn't until 2012 I met the son of Larry Itliong, Johnny Itliong, and learn about how it was the, you know, the Filipino farm workers that went on strike first. So I felt empowered, you know, like like Larry Itliong. I needed to do something about, you know, the injustices and social issues that people face in the community. So since I help, you know, high school youth organize, you know, themselves at Cabrillo High, you know, we would teach them like their history and their culture and, you know , they're blown away, you know, since they haven't really learned about it in the past. So they never really you know, if Larry Itliong and the contributions of the Filipino farmworkers were recognized, all youth would get to know about the history of Filipinos here in the U.S.. So, you know, the reason why it's important for you to know, you know, this history is because youth can take action on the issues that affect them today. So, you know, in light of Filipino American History Month, you know, I just wanted to come to you all today and speak about the importance of, you know, recognizing the contributions of, you know, Larry Itliong. You know, we'd like to thank Councilmember Roberto Durango, Councilmember Jeanine Pearce and also Councilmember Rex Richardson. And, you know, for your leadership in helping honor Larry Itliong and, you know, the city of Long Beach. So, yeah, we hope to we can continue to work together to honor Filipino American History Month and the contributions of Filipinos in the city. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please.
Speaker 4: Hello. Good evening, honorable mayor and members of the City Council. My name is Miles McNeely and I'm the chair of the Human Relations Commission. I wanted to first thank Councilmember Urunga for supporting this rec recommendation and bringing this to the council. And I also want to thank other members of council for their support to support this evening. One of the functions of the Human Relations Commission is to help foster attitudes among various groups which lead to civil peace and intergroup understanding, as well as the promotion of full acceptance of all citizens in the community in all aspects of community life. And the Human Relations Commission believes that Larry Itliong labor and human rights work has had a lasting, positive impact throughout the state, the country and within our city. In this regard, if the Council supports this recommendation will be joining the state of California, the county of Los Angeles, the city of Carson, and other bodies in recognizing their young for his human rights contributions. In 2013, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 123, requiring California public schools to include the contribution of Filipino Americans to the farm labor movement. And also Assembly Bill seven was passed to require California public schools to teach students about the contributions of Larry Itliong. October is Filipino American History Month, and with a population of approximately 30,000 people of Filipino descent, it is evident that the City of Long Beach is an appropriate city to follow the footsteps of other municipalities that have recognized Itliong for his contributions to California and U.S. history as a city, as the as the Long Beach City Council's Principal Advisory Commission promoting better understanding among the diverse ethnic cultural groups in Long Beach. The members of the Human Relations Commission are in agreement that this is an important and appropriate action as it further promotes the ideals of human relations, human rights and equity. Thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Next speaker, please.
Speaker 1: Thanks. Hi. My name is Doctor. Oh, thank you. Hi. My name is Dr. Aileen Villanueva Bernal. And I mean 1364 Grand Avenue. And I proudly represent the fourth District. And I'm currently faculty at Cal State Long Beach. And I also work with the Office of the Chancellor. And I want to take a moment to speak about the personal impact of having a Larry Itliong day. When I was 21, I had my first significant job. I was I was so excited to tell my mom, my mom, mom, I'm working 32 hours a week at this engineering firm for like ten bucks an hour. And I'm like, okay, you know, exciting, right? And my mom's like, you know why they're keeping you at 32 hours a week, right? And I'm like, Seymour and and she's like, well, you know, it's probably because they don't want to make you full time and give you benefits. It's like, oh, and she was like, Are you part of a union? And the mother was like, Yeah, are you part of a union? And I was like, No. But you know, long story short, you know, my parents were very instrumental in me as far as my work ethic and as far as, you know, labor rights and what we deserve as a Filipino community in our struggles and our challenges. My parents, my my dad used to work at the naval base here before it closed down. My mom used to work as a food caterer and Lex and so they would work graveyard and everything. And then so they can make it to my science stuff, you know, my science projects and everything. And my one event that I'm remembering is I had won second place in a Why I Want to be an Engineer essay contest when I was 14 at Cal State Long Beach. And that's where I am today teaching chemistry. So I feel like with this day, everything sort of come full circle. So I thank you for the council, for your support in recognizing the state. Thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Let me just add a couple of just words, then I pass it off to Councilman Andres. So I just think it's important to note that the Long Beach Greater Long Beach area has about 35,000 Filipino Americans that actually live in the area. This is actually a significantly large population. A lot of people don't realize that. I'm particularly in West Palm Beach and parts of the western part of the city. We have a very large community that's been here for a very long time that if you looked and you trace back to where the Filipino movement began, and particularly in Long Beach, you can trace it all the way back to their service in during the World Wars, particularly if you look back at what happened with the Navy here in Long Beach, you had a huge contingent of Americans that were part of the Navy as well that settled into Long Beach before and and during those days. And they still reside here to this very day. So if you think about Long Beach and Carson and the communities around Long Beach, West Long Beach and Carson, that's where you have this very large concentration of of the Filipino community. So I think it's great that this proclamation has come forward. We began honoring the Filipino-American History Month a few years ago in the city of Long Beach. It's something we should always continue to do and recognize the incredible work and the history that phillip filipino americans have contributed, including their amazing food to Long Beach.
Speaker 4: Councilman Andrews Yes, fine. Thank you, Mia. First of all, I'd really like to thank Councilman you for bringing this item forward because I think it is very important that we recognize our leaders who fight and continue to fight for equal rights. So I truly support this. And one of the bigger things, because the fact that my son in law, he's married, no, that's my daughter. She's married to a Filipino. He is a dean over to Poly High School. And the only word that I've learned since she's been married to him for ten years now, it's still a guy . So you guys don't know what that means? That means. Are you serious?
Speaker 6: So thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Seeing that there is a guy.
Speaker 7: I know, Salamat Po.
Speaker 2: That's correct. Q And if you all have not haven't been to any of these Filipino senior Civic American Club dances and coronations are like the best that you can go to. By the way, I hopefully you guys had a chance to go to some of these if you guys have been there. Awesome. So with that, please cast your votes.
Speaker 3: Moesha carries.
Speaker 2: We're going to actually take a photo real quick. The guys want to come down to to.
Speaker 6: Yes. Thank you. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yes, I've got. Thank you. I wasn't sure if I'm.
Speaker 3: Going to be there tomorrow.
Speaker 6: There was nothing. I'll do Facebook.
Speaker 2: Great. Thank you and thank you again. Also, just a shout out to our Human Relations Commission, which is very active. So thank you guys for being so active as well. And with that, we have our second public comment period for those who haven't spoken the first time. If there's any. See none. Or is that. No. Okay. See? None. So we're going to close that. And with that, without objections, I we conclude the meeting or we're going to go and finish up. Closed session. But unless people have announcements to have announcements.
Recommendation to request that City Council commemorate human rights advocate, farm worker, and labor organizer Larry Itliong by declaring October 25th as Larry Itliong Day in the City of Long Beach.