Organizations and Communities

One of the ways Filipinos coped with the racism, poverty, and alienation they experienced in America in the 1920s and 1930s was to form Filipino fraternal organizations like the Caballeros de Dimas-alang and the Legionarios del Trabajo. Such organizations provided them a tight-knit sense of community reminiscent of the strong family ties they left back home. One of the roles such organizations played was, for example, to provide full payment for members' funerals; this was particularly crucial for the large percentage of Filipinos who lived out the latter half of their lives as aging childless bachelors.

Another way Filipinos dealt with these hardships was through the formation of clubs and organizations - like the Visayan Welfare League or Loonanon Pioneers - that drew members from a particular region in the Philippines creating a sense of belonging and community in the United States.