"Agbayani Village" reference on the Cesar E. Chavez Campus parking structure, Barrio Logan

"Hasta la Bahia"...

"All the way to the Bay" (1978, artist Victor Ochoa)

Bert and I were here to check out a photo wall on the outside of the Cesar Chavez Continuing Education Center parking structure...

In doing so, we passed by one of the iconic murals in Chicano Park underneath the Coronado Bay Bridge. "Hasta la Bahia" reflect the protest call for the community to have Chicano Park extend all the way to San Diego Bay, which didn't happen.  It may be hard to see but in next pillar behind the front you can see dozens of candles and floral tributes to the four victims who died when a drunk driver flew off the bridge and landed on them during a motorcycle rally.

We weren't there for the murals that morning. We were actually was looking for, and eventually found, this wall of photos below.

The most recognizable figure to those who know their history (be it American, Chicano or labor) is Cesar Chavez. For those that know their Filipino American history, the man NEXT to Chavez is Mariano "Bob" Armington, a Filipino foreman at the George Lucas ranch who made the first motion to strike on September 8, 1965.  [I just changed this on 3/31/21 - I had long believed it to be Pete Velasco, an unsung Filipino labor activist (see his obituary here); but in comparing his photos, saw it wasn't him]  - 

They are holding a small sign featuring "Agbayani Village" , a retirement village for retired Filipino farmworkers built by volunteers in 1974. It was named after Paolo Agbayani, a Filipino laborer and UFW member who died of a heart attack while picketing during the Pirelli-Minette Winery in Delano, California in 1967.

I have quite a few older friends and activists/educators who were part of the group who helped build Agbayani Village. I often think that I was born a decade too late. I can see myself going to the protests back then and advocating for social justice for the elderly manongs.  Sadly, the last Manong living in Agbayani Village died in the mid-90's. When I was doing my student teaching twenty years ago, one of my 9th grade English Honors class assignments was to read excerpts from various Filipino American history books detailing the farm labor movement and watching the documentary, "Dollar a Day, Dime a Dance" and then writing letters to the manongs in Agbayani Village. I'm glad that my master teacher gave me free reign to choose my assignments. Nowadays, you can't do that!

[Update: Articles referencing Mariano "Bob" Armington plus the photo itself in the KPBS article]

"Delano 50th Anniversary - John Armington" , UFW, March 20, 2017
"A San Diego Native remembers the legacy of Cesar Chavez" KPBS, March 31, 2016
"UFW honors Filipino Leadership in the Delano Grape Strike" Global Nation, June 24, 2014 

"Historic Delano Grape Strike remembered..." Delano Now, Sept 4, 2017 Videos:
Agbayani Village

plus an older video from four years ago:


Video for "Dollar a Day, Dime a Dance":

Dollar A Day, 10 Cents A Dance from Mark Schwartz on Vimeo.

It's cool that it's online now. Back then, I had to make a copy of a copy of a VHS copy.

More info on Pete Velasco:


Articles:
"Cesar E. Chavez Continuing Education Campus breaks ground" San Diego Free Press, Sept 29, 2013
"Continuing Ed opens Cesar Chavez Campus to Barrio Logan community" SDCCD, Oct. 23, 2015

"50 years after the Delano grape strike" SF Chronicle, Sept 2015

"Chavez, 'Chuey' honored at school" SD UnionTribune, July 26, 2015 (I liked how the article explained the details in the architecture...which contrasts with the negative tone of the following article in which the building design was nominated for an "Onion".
"Orchids and Onions - Onion nominee - Cesar Chavez campus, Barrio Logan"

Cesar E. Chavez Campus
1901 Main St.
San Diego, CA 92113

*The parking structure is one street over (address above is main campus only)