Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfront

Exhibit Description

Filipinos and Washington’s Waterfronts is an exhibit consisting of ten free-standing panels and a complementary website that highlights the stories of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans along Washington’s shores. Developed in partnership between the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, the exhibit uses historical and modern-day images, firsthand accounts from community elders, and new original research to explore the many ways in which Washington’s Filipino community is connected to and by water—including themes of immigration, military service, food, celebrations, and more.

The panels are accompanied by a virtual version of the exhibit, which includes all the content from the physical panels plus additional images, stories, and videos. The physical exhibit includes QR codes that encourage visitors to learn more about the stories on the panels by exploring online-only resources; however, both the physical exhibit and website can stand on their own. The online exhibit will be located at: www.maritimewa.org/fanhs.

How this Exhibit Developed

This exhibition reflects the work of a partnership between the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. The story of Filipinos and Washington's Waterfront is a powerful one worth telling, one that led the project team to uncover forgotten stories and those often hidden from the historical record.

The work of developing the physical exhibition and its digital companion has also advanced an important effort by FANHS to document, archive, and share valuable material, cultural, and oral histories. Some stories in this exhibit are long-forgotten tales shared by Filipino old-timers. Other snippets were taken from oral histories gathered 50 years ago. Still others were written in personal family memories or recorded in new interviews as part of developing this exhibit. Collectively, the stories displayed here highlight the historical significance and presence of Filipinos on various waterfronts from the Salish Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

The project was made possible thanks to generous funding by the National Park Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Exhibit Developers

The heart of the exhibit is our lead researcher: Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova. Dorothy is a long-time historian and Filipino American activist. Dorothy was born in Seattle, Washington, on February 6, 1932 to immigrant parents from the Philippines who owned two businesses in the Chinatown International District.

Alongside her late husband Dr. Fred Cordova, Dorothy co-founded Filipino Youth Activities in 1957 and FANHS in 1982. Under Dorothy’s leadership, FANHS National established the nationally-recognized Filipino American History Month in October and now has 40 chapters throughout the United States. Today, Dorothy also holds important titles as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Many individuals from the Filipino-American community contributed to the research for this exhibit, including Devin Cabanilla, Delano Cordova, Bob Flor, Joanne Oligario, Antoinette Thomas, Cynthia Mejia-Giudici, Jeannette Tiffany, Marya Castillano, and Thelma Sevilla. The creation of the exhibit was supported by Jackie Peterson of Jackie Peterson | Exhibit Services, Alex Domine and Julia White from JayRay, and Alex Gradwohl, Program Director of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area.