Community leaders unveil a plaque at the Oct. 14 grand opening of Delano Manongs Park in Milpitas, named after a group Filipino farmworkers who worked in the fields of California during the early 20th century. Left to right are former Milpitas mayor Jose Esteves, Milpitas Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua, State Assemblymember Alex Lee, Milpitas Mayor Carmen Montano, State Sen. Aisha Wahab, Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) Superintendent Cheryl Jordan, MUSD board trustee Kelly Yip-Chuan and two unidentified attendees. (Photo by Mylene Stolpe/Charismatic Photography)
Filipino Americans honored
The California State Assembly recently passed Assemblymember Alex Lee’s legislation, House Resolution 112, naming October as Filipino American History Month.
Lee’s 24th District, which includes Milpitas, has the highest Asian American population in California, and the Filipino American population accounts for the district’s third largest Asian American group.
In Lee’s district, the City of San José named a city park the Delano Manongs Park in 2022, and the City of Milpitas also named a city park recently in honor of the Filipino American labor leaders who led the 1965 Delano Grape strike.
Educational awards
The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) received the Large County Office of the Year award from the California County Superintendents last month at the 2024 annual awards.
The award recognizes the SCCOE’s work on diversity, equity and inclusive initiatives; whole child implementation; students with disabilities; supporting arts education; and other work that leads best practices in the state.
Ironically, recently ousted SCCOE Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan was presented with the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award from the national Association of Educational Services Agencies .
To learn more about the California County Superintendents, visit cacountysupts.org.
Originally published at Anne Gelhaus