In September we commemorated 100 years of Filipino community in Kansas City at the September Affair. This October we join in with the rest of the country in celebrating Filipino American History Month and recognize all Filipino Americans across the nation for the ways they have enriched our nation's society and history.

Founded by the Filipino American History Society in 1982, the month-long celebration honors the first documented presence of Filipinos in the US in October 1587. In November 2009, the US Congress passed laws officially recognizing October as Filipino American History Month.

Filipinos have a steadfast conviction and a persistent optimism, traits that helped many to establish their roots, building the country into the inspiration it is today. We mark this special month and celebrate the ways Filipino Americans have lent their voices to changing our country for the better. Filipinos have contributed in a myriad of ways to our nation, reaffirming that as Americans, we will always be bound in common purpose and by our shared hopes for the future.