LOS ANGELES Mayor Karen Bass with Commissioner Jaime Geaga, president of the Carlos Bulosan Book Club, and a friend during the mayor’s meeting with the Filipino community.
By Claire Morales True
The good news was relayed by the Carlos Bulosan Book Club and the Friends of Echo Park Library after meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who in October officially endorsed the dedication to the Los Angeles Library Commission.
On November 13, the Los Angeles Library Commission, acting on a report by LA City Librarian John F. Szabo and Mayor Bass endorsement through a letter on October 3, approved a resolution to start the process of the dedication of the Echo Park branch of the Los Angeles Public Library on Temple st. in Filipinotown, Los Angeles.
In her letter, Mayor Bass wrote, “there is a wide inter-generational and community support within the Filipino American community to dedicate the Echo Park Library in honor of Carlos Bulosan.”
“Dedicating the Echo Park Library in his honor would not only be a fitting tribute to his immense contributions but also serve as a powerful symbol of Los Angeles’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating the diverse tapestry of its cultural heritage,” Mayor Bass stated.
“Bulosan’s early life was defined by hard work and a strong desire for education, despite having limited formal schooling. Dreaming of a better life, he immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen, where he soon encountered the harsh realities of racial discrimination and exploitation as a service worker.”
“Mr. Bulosan faced difficult working and living conditions, taking jobs as a farm laborer, dishwasher, and cannery worker. Despite these challenges, he emerged as an important labor organizer, advocating for workers’ rights and equality with an unwavering dedication to education.”
Milpitas Mayor Carmen Soriano, former Mayor Jose Esteves and Councilmember Evelyn Chua who were spearheading a tribute to Carlos Bulosan at the time cheered with the announcement at the Milpitas Jose Esteves Library with the Philippine Consulate General Consul Rowena P. Daquipil representing Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, relatives, and supporters of Carlos Bulosan led by Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, Philippine News Today president and publisher Francis Espiritu, editor in chief Alfred Gabot, managing editor Claire Morales True and columnists Elpidio Estioko and Art Madlaing.
The Philippine Global Media Group headed by veteran journalist Val Abelgas, president; and Dan Nino, chairman, lauded the approval of the dedication. The PGMG earlier submitted a resolution supporting the campaign initiated by the Friends of Echo Park Library and the Carlos Bulosan Book Club headed by Commissioner Jaime Geaga and James Castillo to rename Echo Park Library to Carlos Bulosan Library.
The Milpitas event featured the donation of the Ilocano translation book of Carlos Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart” entitled “Adda Iti Pusok Ti Amerika” by Manuel Diaz, and the reading by Claire M. True of the Filipino version of Bulosan’s last known poem, “I Want the Wide American Earth,” titled “Gusto Ko Ang Malawak na Lupaing Amerika” by Jose Lad Santos, former chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
On behalf of Consul General Ferrer, Consul Rowena P. Daquipil cited during the well attended event “Bulosan’s extraordinary journey – from a humble childhood in Pangasinan to becoming a powerful literary voice and labor activist in the United States – continues to inspire generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans.”
‘Bulosan’s work, America is in the Heart, remains a cornerstone of Filipino American literature. It reminds us that the Filipino story is an integral part of the American story – and that our dreams, sacrifices and contributions have helped shape the very fabric of this nation,” Consul Daquipil added.
Chairman Dante Ang II of the Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) and Chairman Marites Barrios-Taran of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), in their messages to the Milpitas tribute, hailed Carlos Bulosan as “the best Filipino writer and human rights advocate for Asian immigrants in America during his time.”
“As we honor him today, we honor more than a writer; we honor the enduring Filipino migrant spirit. We honor those who work and dream in distant lands, who create and give, who build communities both here and back home. Bulosan’s life invites us to reflect on what it means to belong, to serve, and to seek justice not only for ourselves, but for the generations who follow,” Secretary Ang stated.
“May this commemoration inspire us to tell our stories with courage, to nurture our ties to the homeland, and to carry the Filipino heart boldly across borders. Across oceans and across time, the Filipino spirit endures. The Commission on Filipinos Overseas is proud to stand with you in celebrating the life and legacy of Carlos S. Bulosan. May his words continue to guide us, reminding us that to be Filipino is to journey with purpose, to labor with love, and to live with dignity,” Secretary Ang added.
For her part, KWF Chairman Marites Taran, who is a lawyer, said: “Carlos Bulosan’s “My Father Goes to Court” is one of my favorite short stories written by a Filipino author. I can no longer recall how many times I have read it in my younger years, and even when I was an adult. This is a fascinating story which taught me the values of family, of pure joy, and what truly matters in life,”
The Los Angeles Library Commission said the dedication is in recognition of Filipino-American novelist, poet and labor activist Carlos Bulosan, a pivotal literary figure and a powerful voice for the marginalized in America.”
The Los Angeles Library Commission Library Resolution No. 2025 – XX (C-XX) noted that “Mr. Bulosan immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen, where he soon encountered the harsh realities of racial discrimination and exploitation as a service worker. Despite these challenges, emerged as an important labor organizer, advocating for workers’ rights and equality with an unwavering dedication to education.”
“By the late 1940s, Mr. Bulosan had risen from a laborer to an internationally recognized writer and activist. A self-educated thinker, he used his work to expose the injustices faced by Filipino American immigrants and to advocate for equality and civil rights,” the resolution added.
The commission said “Bulosan’s legacy continues to inspire Filipino and Asian American communities and reflects the library’s mission to honor voices that champion knowledge, inclusion, and social justice.
The Echo Park Branch Library serves the Historic Filipinotown community, the commission resolution stated.
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Library Commissioners initiate, in accordance with Board policy 1:312, the process to consider dedicating the Echo Park Branch Library in recognition of Filipino-American novelist, poet and labor activist Carlos Bulosan,” the resolution stated.
