Exhibit Opening - The Forgotten History of the Filipino Farm Center

Overview

Join us for the opening of a new exhibit that celebrates the lives and contributions of Filipino farmers in San Joaquin County. The event will feature food, live entertainment, community vendors, educational opportunities, kids' crafts, and more! For a full list of featured vendors, activities, and community groups visit the event website.

Located on Manila Road in the unincorporated community of Lathrop, the Filipino Farm Center served as an important hub for Filipino farm owners and their families who lived in the area from the 1940s to the 1960s.

In December 2023, a group of descendants of the Filipino families that lived, worked, or were active members of the Farm Center convened to share old photographs and fond memories. The families requested that their memories/stories be recorded and documented to preserve the Farm Center’s history and to share this important part of Filipino American history with the wider community. Now, in partnership with the San Joaquin County Historical Museum, their desire is becoming a reality in the new exhibit, The Forgotten History of the Filipino Farm Center.

Through photos and artifacts, as well as firsthand accounts recorded by videographer Louis Ambriz, visitors will learn about the history of Filipinos in California and San Joaquin County, the factors that lead to the formation of the Farm Center, its active years, and its legacy which lives on today through the lives of those who were there.