Earlier this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a bill proclaiming October Filipino American History Month. It’s a month that’s been celebrated around the country for years, but this is the first time Alaska’s officially recognized it. The honorary month celebrates the Filipino American community and their significant contributions to the state and nation.
In this episode of “Island Interviews,” Bernadette Oller Namasivayam — a former member of the Filipino American Bayanihan Association of Unalaska — discusses Filipino American culture in Unalaska.
Although the Filipino American Association of Unalaska group dissolved a few years ago, Oller Namasivayam said the Ballyhoo Lion’s Club helps keep some of the group’s traditions, like cooking and fundraising for the community, alive.
This interview originally aired on KUCB on Oct. 19, 2023.
