Philip Vera Cruz: A Personal History of Filipino Immigrants and the Farmworkers Movement

by Craig Scharlin, Glenn Omatsu, Lilia V. Villanueva, et al.

Book Overview

Filipino farmworkers sat down in the grape fields of Delano, California, in 1965 and began the strike that brought about a dramatic turn in the long history of farm labor struggles in California. Their efforts led to the creation of the United Farm Workers union under Cesar Chavez, with Philip Vera Cruz as its vice-president and highest-ranking Filipino officer.

Philip Vera Cruz (1904-1994) embodied the experiences of the manong generation, an enormous wave of Filipino immigrants who came to the United States between 1910 and 1930. Instead of better opportunities, they found racial discrimination, deplorable living conditions, and oppressive labor practices. In his deeply reflective and thought-provoking oral memoir, Vera Cruz explores the toll these conditions took on both families and individuals.

Craig Scharlin and Lilia V. Villanueva met Philip Vera Cruz in 1974 as volunteers in the construction of Agbayani Village, the United Farm Workers retirement complex in Delano, California. This oral history, first published in 1992, is the product of hundreds of hours of interviews. Elaine H. Kim teaches Asian American studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295979844
• ISBN13: 9780295979847
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Good book find

It was a pretty easy read, and very interesting. It gives a different perspective on the farm worker movement...it is an autobiography after all. Nevertheless, I feel like I learned a little more about Filipino history, and their story of immigration.

Great Quick Read on Fil-Am Contributions and Inter-Racial Relations

I picked up this book because I am a Filipino-American and knew little of the contributions of Filipino-Americans to American society and even had non-Filipino friends tell me of this man and the contributions to the UFW and labor laws in America. It's a sincere story of an honest man who bridged people and cultures and stood up for what was right and worth fighting for. I read it over one weekend and had a hard time putting it down. It's a great read for anyone interested in the UFW, Cesar Chavez, Filipino-American contributions, labor laws, and/or inter-racial relations.

A valuable resource for understanding the transplanting of Filipino culture to America

I ordered Phlip Vera Cruz: A Personal History of Filipino Immigrants and the Farmworkers Movement to gain insight into Filipino farm worker culture in America. What I got was more than I ever expected. I learned about the differences between generations, of the vast sea of Central Valley and Delano culture, and the history of Filipinos in America, whose hardships were endured by transplanted and misunderstood culture. I've since learned that generational gaps in understanding Filipino culture exist that tear the rooted fabric of Filipino culture, making its historic transformation to Americanism nearly forgotten by many of the younger generation. Craig Scharlin's book of Cruz's memoirs provided a means through which I could research and begin to understand what many Filipino youth have never gained.

Remembering the Pioneers of Our Community

I am often dismayed when college aged Filipina/o Americans, many of whom are the children and grandchildren of post-1965 immigrants, cannot appreciate the lives of the Manongs, early Filipino immigrants from the the 1920's & 30's. I realize that it was a long time ago and there are many other Fil-Ams to recognize and honor, but I believe that this first large wave of immigrants to the U.S. is a part of Fil-Am history that should not be ignored. The life of Philip Vera Cruz epitomizes the lives of many of these immigrants who came to the U.S. as migratory and service sector laborers but became activists by protesting labor exploitation. Further, Vera Cruz and other Filipinos played an integral part in the formation of the United Farm Workers. Young Filipinos often complain about not knowing their history or the role Filipinos have played in U.S. society. This biography is a good place to start learning about where we've been and what we've done.