Gets Real: Exploring Filipinotown is Seattle's CID
Seattle's International District is well known for Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Saigon.
But at the center, you'll also find Filipinotown -- and it's been there for more than 100 years!
' [In the] 1920s to 1980s, we had 88 Filipino-owned and operated businesses here. We catered to the primarily the first-generation Manongs who came here,' said Cynthia Mejia Giudici, with the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS).
Since then, she says the number of Filipino-owned places dropped significantly in the CID.
'Many, many businesses and many, many hotels, some that have been torn down, some of them have been remodeled. But we remember the stories, and that's our history,' said Giudici.
It's an almost forgotten or even unheard history that was put back on track this month -- arriving in the form of a streetcar!
'It was an unexpected joy, the kind of joy that's so deep you cry along with it,' said Devin Cabanilla with King County Metro.
The word 'Filipinotown' is the newest addition to a trolley making its way through downtown Seattle. He says it's more than just a name on a streetcar.
'It highlights something that's always been, but it's always been forgotten, so now it's more obvious,' Cabanilla explained.
The community says the streetcar is en route to a new era, while honoring those that have been here for generations.
'I think about, you know, all of the sacrifice, all of the love, all the struggle, all the resilience of our people who were trying to make a new home,' said Chera Amlag, Co-owner of Hood Famous Bakeshop, Cafe & Bar.
Amlag keeps pieces of history at Hood Famous Bakeshop, which she and her husband opened in 2019.
'We wanted it to feel both new and fresh, but also nostalgic at the same time,' Amlag added. 'The little things that we thought about in the space that we really wanted people to feel that sense of connection to the Philippines.'
They specialize in comfort food and delicious desserts, but this shop became the first Filipino food restaurant in the CID in more than 30 years.
It's bittersweet moment for Amlag. She says their efforts are headed in the right direction, but there's still much more to do.
'I want to be able to name even more businesses, to the point where you just don't have enough time to name them all, and for us to just all be able lift each other up,' she said.
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