PHILIPPINES

"The old world is dying, but a new world is being born. It generates inspiration from the chaos that beat upon us all. The false grandeur and security, the unfulfilled promises and illusory power, the number of the dead and those about to die, will charge the forces of our courage and determination. The old world will die so that the new world will be born with less sacrifice and agony on the living."
— Carlos Bulosan

Over four million Filipino Americans live in the United States, and they make up the third largest group from the Asia/Pacific Island region to settle in New Jersey. Their first documented settlement in the U.S. was incited by efforts to escape forced labor and enslavement during the Spanish occupation. Today, Filipino Americans contribute greatly in the nation's economy, management, and healthcare. Most recently, Filipino nurses have propped up the country's medical system by playing an integral role in the fight against COVID-19.