Posters for FAHM 2023

We created three new 24×36 posters to display for Filipino American History Month 2023. We printed them on foamboard so we could display them on posterboard stands. The posters include selections from Settling St. Malo, a collection of documentary poetry written by Randy Gonzales.

The first poster tells the story of the Manilamen and St. Malo. Most of the images in the poster were originally published as part of “Saint Malo: A Lacustrine Village in Louisiana,” published by Harper’s Weekly: A Journal of Civilization on March 31, 1883. The portrait of Marshal Marralino was published in The Daily Picayune on October 6, 1883 a few days after the Cheniere Caminada hurricane destroyed shrimp drying platforms in Barataria Bay and St. Malo on Lake Borgne. The caption under the photo read “Malay Hero,” in reference to Marralino saving the lives of other Filipinos at St. Malo. Marralino’s house was raised more than the others. When he heard cries in the night, he tethered himself to his home and swam over to the other houses with a boat in tow. He rescued those who were huddled on the rooftops of their houses. They got back to Marralino’s house and waited out the storm.

The second poster highlights Manila Village and the shrimp drying process, particularly the dancing of the shrimp. Manila Village was visited regularly by outsiders and functioned well into the 20th century. As a result, we have more images of the village. We have high quality photographs of Manila Village and the region taken by Fonville Winans in the 1930s. The shrimp dancing photograph was taken by Charles L. Franck in the 1950s. The seine fishing image and the platform of dried shrimp were published in The Fountain of Youth, a travel narrative written by Charles Tenney Jackson (1914). The images were enhanced and stylized by Randy Gonzales.

The third poster addresses demographics and community organizations. The poster includes a selection of the poem Carnival Queens to highlight how Filipino Americans adapt to local culture. To counter this Filipino American organizations tend to highlight Filipino culture and heritage through cultural performances. Louisiana has a number of Filipino-American community organizations.

The posters are free to use by organizations or individuals interested in sharing the history of Filipino Louisiana. View printable high-resolution pdf of posters.