Sandra Baniaga-Brown is a third-generation Filipino who grew up on the plantation grounds of Kaumakani, Kauaʻi.
She was raised by her grandparents while her father worked as a mechanic for the Olokele Plantation and her mother was a nurse.
“I had an unusual childhood because my grandfather always said that you would write the way you spoke, so I wasnʻt allowed to speak Pidgin at home,” she said. “I was told to speak what was called 'good English.'”
However, her family never taught her any of the Filipino dialects.
Baniaga-Brown said Kauaʻi's Filipino community was close-knit but has become fragmented over the years.
“That’s because so many people have moved out of the plantation and they live in other communities,” she said.
The first wave of Filipino migrant workers came to Hawaiʻi in 1906. But there’s part of Kauaʻi’s history that isn't well known: the Hanapēpē Massacre.
It was a tragic turning point in Hawaiʻi's labor movement, where 16 Filipino workers and four policemen were killed during a strike dispute.
Maluhia Castillo is an event organizer for the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center. He said he wants to bring more awareness to the history of Filipinos on Kauaʻi.
"The Filipino community here, even though it’s one of the largest populations in Hawaiʻi, nobody on Kauaʻi is talking about that or celebrating it or finding ways of identifying what was important about the plantation era and those people that we need to preserve and give light to,” he said.
While Oʻahu has the Filipino Community Center, Kauaʻi finally opened its Philippine Cultural Center in 2020.
Castillo said there are no museums on Kauaʻi dedicated to the history of Filipinos, so he hopes the event will bring the community together to learn about their history.
Kauaʻi's Filipino community will formally gather for the first time this week to honor their past for Filipino American History Month.
The event is open to the public and will have a presentation on oral history, cultural performances, an exhibit and more.
“I’m just excited to get to showcase the culture in as many ways that I feel enriched by. Like I get to share some Indigenous Filipino music from people from the Philippines that have taught me that,” Castillo said.
“I get to share all these stories and all of this history that we’ve been learning from elders who have spoken to us.”
The event will be held at the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center in Līhuʻe on Oct. 18 and 19.
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