DMV FILIPINO
AMERICAN HISTORY
By UMD Archivist Rita Cacas
The Rita M. Cacas Filipino American Community Archives collection, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
Meet the Washington DC Pinoys
The Nation’s Capital, Washington DC is the home to almost 200,000 Filipinos1. When I give talks about the early DC Filipinos, most folks are surprised to learn that we have been here in the DMV – or DC, Maryland, and Virginia – for over 100 years!
After the US annexed the Philippines from Spain in 1898, Filipinos were allowed to enter the U.S. as foreign nationals to go to school or to work. Many of the early DC pinoys joined the Navy and served in WWI; they were government workers or provided services as cab drivers, restaurant and hotel workers. But many of these Filipinos were focused on Philippine independence from U.S. colonization.
The 1916 Jones Act promised Filipinos independence – which took another 30 years after WWII ended. The DC pinoys worked with U.S. government officials towards this promise.
For a captivating dive into the stories and lives of these Filipinos during the reach for independence, read Philippine-American Heritage in Washington, D.C. by Erwin R. Tiongson, The History Press, 2023.
Becoming a Community Historian
I had a charmed career working almost four decades at two iconic Washington, DC cultural institutions: The National Gallery of Art and the National Archives. I completed my master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Maryland (UMD), with a concentration on Archives. I loved my work, and when I retired, I didn’t stop.
In 1993, my photo documentary project, A Visit with My Elders: Portraits and Stories of Washington Area Filipino Pioneers, began my role as community historian. There weren’t many books or references about the DC Filipinos. Inspired by my parents’ vivid immigration stories, I became obsessed – the stories changed my life! But there was an urgency to capture what knowledge we could before the records – and witnesses – disappeared. The 1993 project led to my co-authored book, Images of America: Filipinos in Washington, D.C., Arcadia Publishing, 2009.
When I retired in 2014, I began a passion project to preserve critical materials collected for the book. Keeping me busy, it became another full-time career.
During my first year of retirement, I dreamed of a way to acquire, preserve, and share the history of the early DMV Filipinos. Would people be interested? The response was surprising, touching a deeper need than expected.
Building Strategic Partnerships
Something this big doesn’t happen by itself. First, the historic records needed a proper home. I approached my alma mater, the UMD Libraries, which already housed other special archives collections, and proposed creating a “Filipino American Community Archives.” They were interested, if leery. Nobody wants boxes of random stuff dumped on their doorstep.
Thankfully, as an archivist, I spoke their language. I presented strategies for community outreach, and for integrating the FACA into existing UMD programs and research. Materials would arrive with background, provenance, and, yes, money. Money always matters.
It worked. The UMD Libraries created “The Rita M. Cacas Filipino American Community Archives” (FACA), providing historic records related to the U.S.-Philippines transition to Independence, also containing family documentation of dances, celebrations, receptions, and of social/professional clubs.
The FACA collection abstract is: https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/1423
RITA M. CACAS
she / her
Ilocos Sur + Santa + Narvacan
EDUCATION
Masters of Library Science, concentration on Archives, 2002
B.A. (Studio Art/Art History) 1978,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
ACCOLADES
1993-94 Prince George’s County Arts Grant
(via The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission)
1993 Robert H. Smith Fellowship Program
(via National Gallery of Art, Washington); and
1998-99 Spectrum Scholarship (American Library Association)
I am part of a vibrant community with a storied history and honored traditions; fascinating faces; and wonderful food. I am inspired by our brilliant and motivated trailblazers.
