Oct. 25 is the 100th birthday of Larry Itliong, the iconic Filipino American farm worker labor leader overshadowed by Cesar Chavez.  On this podcast, I interview Fred Basconcillo, a former national president of the Iron Workers Union.

Basconcillo, 76, knew Itliong and was mentored by him. Basconcillo says why Itliong was important and why he may have been overlooked by historians. He also shares stories of Itliong, including an episode that may have led to a split between Itliong and Chavez. Basconcillo says Itliong was upset Chavez treated Filipino workers differently at one site in the Coachella Valley where goonies were called in to beat up Filipino workers.

The podcast is about 13 minutes long, and was recorded on 10/22/2013 at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco after  a Filipino American History month program honoring the 69th anniversary of the Leyte Landing.( Leyte was a turning point in World War II where U.S. General Douglas MacArthur, accompanied by Sergio Osmena and Carlos Romulo, returned to liberate the Philippines).

 

[powerpress]http://www.amok.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Labor-Leader-Larry-ItliongFilipino-American-Icon-Remembered-By-Fred-Basconcilloformer-national-president-of-the-Iron-workers-Union.-Interviewed-By-Emil-Guillermo.m4a[/powerpress]

 

Read more: http://aaldef.org/blog/restoring-larry-itliong-to-his-rightful-place-during-filipino-american-history-month.html

 

 

Fred Basconcillo, one of the few first generation Filipino Americans born and raised in America, at a Filipino History Month celebration of the Alvarado Project at the San Francisco Philippine Consulate.