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![Frank Celada [Part 2] (EH)](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
Frank Celada [Part 2] (EH)
Date: 12/21/1997Call Number: CD 503Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Discussion between Estella Habal, Frank Celada, and Harvey Dong about various student groups that were involved with the I-Hotel. One of which eventually created the Asian studies department at Berkeley. They explain the AAPA organization. This student organization had connections with the anti-war movement, SNCC and the farm worker movement. All three participants concluded that they got involved with activism due to the third world strike and the I-hotel.
They also discussed the AAPA [Asian American Political Alliance?] and it's founders: Bob Rita, who was a member of the UFW, Richard Aoki, [sic] who was an internee, Yuji Ichioka and his wife, and Lillian Fabros. AAPA was a political student organization, who had connections with the anti-war movement, SNCC and the farmworker movement. All three participants concluded they got involved with activism due to the third world strike and the I-hotel.
They ended the conversation by discussing the various reasons people say the I-Hotel movement failed. One reason is because the movement opened up to non-Asians, due to the lack of support from Filipinos. Estella makes the point that the movement would not have lasted as long without the outreach. Estella then talks about Peter Bacho, who taught at Davis, and said that the radicals and disunity ruined the movement, because each emphasized the flaws, and not the larger picture. Finally, it was added by Estella that the division, attacks and infiltration by the FBI through cointelpro, the FBI's counter-intelligence program, brought about the disillusion of those involved.
Mrs. Dela Cruz (1) [Part 1] (EH)
Date: 3/8/1993Call Number: CD 504Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Informal oral history interview of Mrs. de la Cruz conducted by Estella Habal. During the interview, Mrs. de la Cruz recalls her family history and her experience living in the I-Hotel. Part 1 of the interview contains Mrs. de la Cruz recollecting her family history, which includes their experience during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Mrs. de la Cruz also recalls how she became involved with the I-Hotel and the relations amongst the tenants and the volunteers or activists of the I-Hotel. One highlight of the interview is her recollection of the fire that broke out at the I-Hotel.
Mrs. Dela Cruz (1) [Part 1] (EH) Cont., Mrs. Dela Cruz (2) [Part 2] (EH)
Call Number: CD 505Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Informal oral history interview of Mrs. de la Cruz conducted by Estella Habal. During the interview, Mrs. de la Cruz recalls her family history and her experience living in the I-Hotel. Part 1 of the interview contains Mrs. de la Cruz recollecting her family history, which includes their experience during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Mrs. de la Cruz also recalls how she became involved with the I-Hotel and the relations amongst the tenants and the volunteers or activists of the I-Hotel. One highlight of the interview is her recollection of the fire that broke out at the I-Hotel. (3/8/1993)
Estella Habal's interview of Mrs. de la Cruz covers the tenants and volunteers of the International Hotel. Issues such as their past and current status of the tenants and activists are raised. (3/8/1993)
Emil Deguzman (EH)
Date: 5/2/1989Call Number: CD 506Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Estella Habal and Emil de Guzman discuss politics and social dynamics of activism around the I-Hotel. [D]e Guzman explains how he first got involved through a sociology community fieldwork class (SF State '69). In order to assist the struggle, his class would go to work at the I-Hotel every day of the semester. Bringing the Asian American community together, it fostering a deep sense of political identity. With few Filipino Americans involved in the struggle, de Guzman makes a connection to class background. Unlike the Chinese, Filipinos didn't have as much community resources to fund community events. There were also generational gaps within the Filipino community between first, second, and third "waves". Emil explains the working relationship between the young students and elder manongs. In result, the media falsely assumed that the young activists were manipulating the old. Finally he and Estella explore various political aspects that divided the movement and the support alliances that were formed from it.
Jeanette Lazan [part 1] (EH)
Date: 5/2/1989Call Number: CD 507Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Estella Habal interviewes Jeanette Lazam on her background, development as an activist, and involvement with the I-Hotel. Once living in Manhattan, she experienced living in a predominantly Black and Puerto Rican neighborhood. Growing up as a product of the civil rights movement, she developed her social consciousness as a person of color and gained a anti-racist framework. It wasn't until she moved to California she began to identify proudly as Filipino. She learned in college that there was more to being Asian than just food and dance. They discussed the generation gap of political awareness. While the third generation was more working class, greater economic hardships surpassed the second. Consequently, the third generation tended to have a greater class-consciousness, which tended to aspire towards assimilation and economic mobility. In result of the I-hotel's history and struggle, generations were brought together, even though there were language barriers. As Jeanette worked with the UFA, she provided social services and companionship to the tenants.
Jeanette Lazan [part 2] (EH)
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: CD 508Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview between Estella Habal and Jeanette Lazam begins with the internal dynamics of the I-Hotel struggle. Lazam started with the UFA, which got her involved with the IH. Still a student at SF state, Lazan participated in a program that connected students with social service agencies. At that time, the UFA represented the tenants of IH as well as all housing issues in Manilatown. After spending a year Philippines, Lazan returned to San Francisco with a greater sense of cultural sensitivity. With motivation to continue activist work, she joined the KDP in '74. As her work became more politicized, Lazam moved into the hotel and befriended many of the tenants. With age and gender differences between her and the tenants, Lazan and the tenents still shared a working class identity that provided unity. Lazam describes the Roosevelt Hotel plan to pressure Moscone's declaration for eminent domain, and the plan for a buyback. Lazam ends with saying Cultural nationalism and its role in the movement creates tension between seeing the goal of saving the ethnic community of Manilatown and protecting all people's right to obtain housing.
Jeanette Lazan [part 2] (EH) cont., Jeanette Lazan [part 3] (EH)
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: CD 509Format: Cass A & BCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview between Estella Habal and Jeanette Lazam begins with the internal dynamics of the I-Hotel struggle. Lazam started with the UFA, which got her involved with the IH. Still a student at SF state, Lazan participated in a program that connected students with social service agencies. At that time, the UFA represented the tenants of IH as well as all housing issues in Manilatown. After spending a year Philippines, Lazan returned to San Francisco with a greater sense of cultural sensitivity. With motivation to continue activist work, she joined the KDP in '74. As her work became more politicized, Lazam moved into the hotel and befriended many of the tenants. With age and gender differences between her and the tenants, Lazan and the tenents still shared a working class identity that provided unity. Lazam describes the Roosevelt Hotel plan to pressure Moscone's declaration for eminent domain, and the plan for a buyback. Lazam ends with saying Cultural nationalism and its role in the movement creates tension between seeing the goal of saving the ethnic community of Manilatown and protecting all people's right to obtain housing.
Interview between Estella Habal and Jeanette Lazam on external social-political forces. As a self-examination of the struggle is made, identification of different group involvement are examined. An example is groups such as whites with weak political ties (Anarchists, Maoists). However, whites joined the movement with prevalent ideologies, which were politically tumultuous of the time. There were also artists, the white working class and farm workers who wanted affordable housing as well. Within the left sphere, Lazam analyzes the political spectrum from the range of "radical/ultra-extreme left" to liberal. These groups often clashed and made it difficult to work together. Finally, she looks into the city forces, specifically Hongisto. She believes that a lot of the activists' weaknesses had to do with lack of experience and lack of coalition work with others. The struggle came from all sides. (11/13/1990)
Bruce Occena [Tape 1] (EH)
Date: 11/16/1990Call Number: CD 510Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Estella Habal interviews Bruce Occena, a former U.C. Berkeley student activist and volunteer of the International Hotel (60s-70s). Bruce Occena comments on three prominent figures in the International Hotel movement, Legaspi, Ness Aquino, and Joe. Occena describes differences, role, significance, and the character attacks that came from activists later. Occena also describes the issues facing the Filipino American student activists of UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Issues such as the inter-ethnic tension between activists groups such as Filipino Americans, Chinese Americans, and Japanese American activists. Occena also comments on the affects and issues of Filipino student activists coming from the Philippines and joining the International Hotel movement. Occena also describes the lease between the Shorenstein corporation and United Filipino Association (UFA) appointing a UFA as property manager. This boosted much needed student support.
Bruce Occena [Tape 1] (EH) cont., Bruce Occena [part 2]
Date: 11/16/1990Call Number: CD 511Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Estella Habal interviews Bruce Occena, a former U.C. Berkeley student activist and volunteer of the International Hotel (60s-70s). Bruce Occena comments on three prominent figures in the International Hotel movement, Legaspi, Ness Aquino, and Joe. Occena describes differences, role, significance, and the character attacks that came from activists later. Occena also describes the issues facing the Filipino American student activists of UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Issues such as the inter-ethnic tension between activists groups such as Filipino Americans, Chinese Americans, and Japanese American activists. Occena also comments on the affects and issues of Filipino student activists coming from the Philippines and joining the International Hotel movement. Occena also describes the lease between the Shorenstein corporation and United Filipino Association (UFA) appointing a UFA as property manager. This boosted much needed student support.
Continuation of an informal discussion between Estella Habal and Bruce Occena. They talk about the political climate and its influence on the I-Hotel struggle. At first, the students helping the I-Hotel were not "more left" than other members in the community. When the KDP joined the struggle, the organization began being looked at as anti-capitalist. Attracting the attention of other progressive young people, the political meaning rose to a revolutionary level. The political climate at that time was described as "urban populism". With a mixture of urban decay, white flight, civil rights movements, and 3rd world movements created a revolutionary consciousness for people of color in urban areas.
Life of the Manong: Henry Hipolito in Portsmouth Square
Date: 6/8/1977Call Number: IH 051Producers: Al RoblesCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Manong Henry Hipolito talks with Al Robles about the old days in Manilatown. Henry speaks of the Manilatown area from Market to Broadway being the section symbolizing the common poor Filipino. Although the I-hotel area was run down during the interview (late 70s), it used to be a nice area bustling with streetcars and horse drawn wagons. When speaking of the area in the late 70s, the I-Hotel and its few old timers represent the last of Manilatown. Some of Henry's experiences of the old days were that there were no pinays in America till 1948 and local job discrimination forced him to travel to Alaska for seasonal fishing jobs. He reminisces about Pinoy town in Alaska and how he survived the depression. Ending the interview, Henry gives advice to new Filipino immigrants such as the importance of education, independence, poverty and discrimination reduction, and resist corruption.
