Sakadas

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the massive influx of Filipino immigration, beginning with the agricultural workers ‘sakadas’ of Ilocos who braved uncertain shores for greener pastures in Hawaii, California, and across the country.
With the long overdue recognition of US Congress, the hard-earned accomplishments, contributions, and experiences of Filipinos in the United States will be celebrated and remembered.
Our centennial year is also a time to reflect and acknowledge the struggles and hardships our ancestors faced entering into a new world. It is a time to honor those who struggled before us, who challenged the injustices of the American system, who bore the brunt of institutional racism and inequality, and fought for basic rights, welfare, equal opportunities, and dignity. This same struggle continues for today’s Filipinos in the United States, now the third largest immigrant community in the country.
In this spirit of continuing to forge our better future, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) invites you to a national conference entitled Looking Forward: Building a National Filipino Immigrant Rights Movement. On December 1 and 2, 2006, Filipinos from all corners of the country are invited for a significant conference at the Philippine Forum Kalayaan Auditorium located at 54-05 Seabury Street, Elmhurst, NY 11373, that aims to achieve the following:
1. To unite the broadest number of Filipino organizations, institutions, and individuals in the US on a national platform of demands and strategy for comprehensive immigration reform that speaks directly from the experiences, needs, concerns, and lessons of the Filipino community in the US
2. To educate the broader Filipino community on the state of immigration legislation and relate the state of today’s struggles with our historical relationship to the US immigration system;To expand, consolidate, and strengthen our national network of Filipino immigrant rights organizers and advocates across the US;
3. To expand, consolidate, and strengthen our national network of Filipino immigrant rights organizers and advocates across the US;
4. To mobilize broader Filipino involvement and develop Filipino leadership in the immigrant rights movement;
5. To build and strengthen relationships and alliances with other immigrant communities in the United States; and,
6. To identify new areas for research and instigate community research initiatives for the Filipino community.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns is a national network of Filipino organizations, institutions, and individuals committed to advancing the rights and welfare, celebrating culture and history, and building unity among Filipinos living and working in the United States. Founded in 2003, NAFCON members are based in over 23 cities across the country.