The Alaska Legislature passed HB 23 on Friday, establishing the month of October as Filipino American History Month in state statute.
Freshman Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, introduced the bill. She is Alaska’s second Filipino legislator after Rep. Thelma Buchholdt was elected 50 years ago, and HB 23 is Mina’s first bill.
“I just feel overwhelmingly proud because this bill wouldn’t have passed, not just without the support of the Legislature, but also without the decades and decades of advocacy and community work and just the existence that Filipinos have had in Alaska and in our nation,” Mina said on Friday after the bill passed.
HB 23 has 43 co-sponsors — over half of the Legislature. Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, brought HB 23 to the Senate floor on Friday.
“From seasonal migrant cannery workers to health care workers and political leaders, Filipino Americans are a part of the fabric of Alaska’s diverse history,” Gray-Jackson said on the floor. “Unfortunately, the history of the Filipino community is not often told, which results in the erasure of both the history of this community and the people themselves.”
In 2019, two bills establishing February as Black History Month and November as Alaska Native Heritage Month were signed into law. Jackson says she sees HB 23 as an addition to these bills’ efforts to recognize the diverse cultures of Alaska in state statute.
Recalling the most rewarding moments she had when carrying the bill, Mina shared the time she spoke to Juneau’s Filipino Community Inc. for their biennial legislative reception earlier this year.
“What I really was honored to experience after giving that speech was all of the love from people that I’ve never met before,” she said. “And that’s the type of representation that I hope this bill and enshrining Filipino American History Month in state statute will provide, because we’ve gone so long not seeing ourselves represented.”
The bill passed the Senate in a 19-0 vote, with Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, absent. The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Dunleavy to be signed into law.
