At first glance, the exhibit inside Casa de la Guerra feels like a family album left open with portraits, personal artifacts, and decades-old documents to tell stories that have long gone overlooked in textbooks and museums. But for many Filipino Americans in California, these aren’t just artifacts.
The exhibit, “Manongs on the Central Coast: Forming Communities Across Generations,” marks the first major historical display in Santa Barbara County centered on Filipino American immigration. After a 10-month run, it will close to the public on Sunday, June 22. However the stories told inside its walls, and the people behind them, have made it clear that this isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning.
The exhibit explores two major waves of Filipino immigration to the Central Coast. The first, between 1924 and 1934, and the second, following World War II during the baby boom era. Both generations faced unique challenges but played significant roles in shaping the cultural and economic foundation of communities across Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.
“These are personal stories. These are family stories,” said Bing Aradanas, a contributor to the exhibit and a Lompoc native.
“These are Filipino American communities who have made contributions to the greater community. And yet, we’ve rarely seen them acknowledged in the broader historical narrative.”
Aradanas’ connection to this history is deeply personal. His father arrived on the Central Coast during the first wave of Filipino immigration, one of many young men recruited to work in agriculture, fish canneries, and other physically demanding jobs. His mother followed in the second wave, a generation that would begin to build more permanent roots in California.
Aradanas went on to teach Filipino American history at both UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo between 2013 and 2022. But as a student, he said, that history was almost invisible. “I didn’t learn any of this in high school. It’s only in the last few years that California has begun to include Filipino contributions in its curriculum.”
The exhibit’s title centers on the term “manong,” an Ilocano word that roughly translates to “respected elder brother.” In Filipino American communities, the word is used with reverence, a recognition of the first-generation men who endured discrimination, isolation, and labor exploitation, yet carved a path for future generations.
“These men laid the foundation for community, even when they were intentionally kept on the margins of society,” said curator Shannon Toribio. “They often worked in the shadows, but their legacy is powerful.”
The exhibit also highlights a literary connection: America is in the Heart, the seminal 1946 autobiography by Filipino American author Carlos Bulosan, was inspired in part by events that took place in Lompoc in 1931.
What makes “Manongs on the Central Coast” especially unique is its community-driven approach. Many of the materials on display including: family photos, immigration records, clothing, and even wooden crates that were donated by local Filipino American families.
“I hear people say things like, ‘My grandfather had that same suit,’ or ‘That’s just like the story my mother told me,’” Toribio said.
As the exhibit prepares to close its doors in Santa Barbara, the team is already looking ahead. Dez Alaniz, Director of the Presidio Research Center, said the plan is to digitize the entire exhibit and make it accessible online through the Trust’s website.
“We want to make sure this history is not only preserved but also shared widely,” Alaniz, said. “We’re looking for local institutions that can host portions of the exhibit, particularly within Santa Barbara County, since so many of the stories come from here.”
One future stop is already scheduled for April 2026 in Lompoc, with other locations currently under consideration. Alaniz, added that an intern has been brought on to help with the digitization process.
“The physical exhibit may be closing, but the story doesn’t end here,” Gonzalez said. “This is just the first chapter.”
The exhibit is until Sunday, June 22 from 12 pm to 4 pm, at Casa de la Guerra, 15 East De La Guerra Street in Santa Barbara. For more information, visit sbthp.org.
