Washington, D.C., exhibition spotlights Filipino migrant workers in Hawaiʻi

In recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hawaiʻi US Sen. Mazie Hirono has partnered with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to present a two-week poster exhibition exploring the migration of Filipino workers to Hawaiʻi in the early 20th century.

“Stories from the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers in Hawaiʻi” is on display in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., through May 22. The exhibition runs May 11–15 and May 18–22 and is open to the public.

This marks the third consecutive year Hirono has teamed with the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center to highlight Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander contributions to the United States.

The exhibition traces a pivotal chapter in Hawaiʻi’s history. In the early 1900s, US immigration policies restricted Chinese and Japanese laborers from entering Hawaiʻi, leading sugar plantation owners to recruit workers from the Philippines, then a US territory. Because Filipinos held status as US nationals, they could migrate more freely, and by 1926 they made up more than half of Hawaiʻi’s plantation workforce. These workers, known as sakadas, helped shape the islands’ social and economic fabric.

The exhibition focuses on two sakadas—Eusebio Maglinte and Epimaco Fariola Mansueto—following their journeys from the Philippines to Hawaiʻi and later to the US Mainland. Many Filipinos put down roots in Hawaiʻi, while others eventually settled on the West Coast. By the 1940s, Stockton, Calif., had become home to the largest Filipino community outside the Philippines.

Their stories are further explored in the Smithsonian’s ongoing exhibition “How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories,” currently on view at the National Museum of American History.

“I am proud to host this exhibition in collaboration with APAC and help share this history of the Filipino and Filipino American communities in Hawaiʻi,” Hirono said. “This exhibition is also meaningful because 2026 marks both our nation’s 250th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of the Luce-Celler Act of 1946, which granted Filipino and Indian immigrants the right to naturalize as American citizens.”

Hirono highlighted the Luce-Celler Act as one of several milestones connecting the exhibition to broader advocacy for affected communities. Earlier this month, her resolution recognizing May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month passed the Senate by unanimous consent. She has also led a bipartisan resolution recognizing October as Filipino American History Month, introduced legislation to expedite visas for children of Filipino World War II veterans, and in 2017 presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino WWII veterans.

Yao-Fen You, acting director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, said the institution values the partnership. “We appreciate the opportunity to share Smithsonian resources that document and celebrate the rich history and culture of AANHPI individuals and communities,” You said.