Life In the U.S.
Seattle's International District became the homequarters for Alaskeros during the cold months of the year. They would share hotel and
boardinghouse rooms to save money before sailing back up north to work in the canneries from late spring to late summer. The population of Alaskeros in Washington grew between 1910 and 1930 from 1,700 to 3,500. Nearly 1,000 Filipinos were recruited by Japanese and Chinese nationals in 1921 to work in the Alaskan fisheries, and by the mid-1930s, they had become the dominant population in the canneries. Despite this fact, very few Filipinos became
contractors, as they were halted from advancing past the position of
foreman. This was mainly due to the fact of contractor positions were being held by mainly Japanese and Chinese employees. They entered into the canning industry before the Filipinos, and they held onto these jobs, while Filipinos worked as
unskilled laborers in mechanized plants. Filipinos were dependent on whatever the Chinese and Japanese contractors made available to them, and their lack of proficiency in the
English language as well as the difference in wages between the U.S. and the Philippines left them to be taken advantage of. The contractors would sell them items that were supposed to be compensated to the workers, such as food, work supplies, bedding and lodging. Sometimes, the contractors would take off without paying Filipino laborers their wages at the end of the season, leaving them without any money, and with no way to leave. Some Filipino foremen would charge the workers half a month's wages as a
finder's fee for the cannery job. Unfortunately, mistreatment of fellow ethnics by more competent workers is a common occurrence in the
migrant society. Alaskeros faced less discrimination in Alaska than in the Lower 48, mostly due to the Alaska Native and the large Asian community that was already present in the area. Some cannery workers lived in Alaska permanently, marrying
Alaska Native women and establishing their own communities there. In 1935, they formed the Filipino Community of
Juneau. Because of the images portrayed by American educators in the Philippines, some Filipinos were under the impression that a way into American society was easily obtained through marriage, often taking up with "women of color," and avoiding white women because of the social problems that might stir up. In
California and
Washington, white resentment against the Filipinos grew. Filipinos were often portrayed as sexual threats that wanted to mix with white and
Mexican women, and concerns over "
hybridization" caused several
race riots to come to a head. Whites tried to drive out Filipinos from their communities. The incident near
Watsonville, California, in 1930 was the most publicized- involving 400 white
vigilantes targeted a Filipino dance club, beating many and killing one. The
California state legislature responded by amending
anti-miscegenation laws, prohibiting white-Filipino marriages, similar to the laws in 12 other U.S. states. In 1953, the
Supreme Court ruled in favor of union member
Ernesto Mangaoang, who was jailed along with 30 other Alaskeros over
communist implications, and established residency rights for thousands of Filipino Americans who entered the U.S. before the Philippines gained their independence in 1946. ==The Great Depression==