TALANG GABAY: HISTORIC FILIPINOTOWN’S EASTERN GATEWAY


Monday August 1, 2022


by Naiia Lajoie GLASS HALF FIL   Giant strides for the Filipino people are being made not only in the wake of a national election back in the Motherland, but also for the local Fil- Am community right here in Los Angeles. On Mother’s Day weekend, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell hosted a community celebration; a ribbon cutting ceremony for the long-awaited unveiling of the Eastern Gateway entrance to Historic Filipinotown. The event featured music, dance performances, free parking with complimentary shuttle service, food trucks, and speeches from elected officials. Remarks from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Mayor Eric Garcetti, the aforementioned Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, neighboring Councilman Gil Cedillo, Building and Safety Commissioner Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, and former Public Works Commissioner Jessica Caloza were shared, to name a few. The festivities took place on Saturday, May 7th, a little over a month after the structure was installed on April 1st. The celebration began at 4pm with music and community booths at Beverly Boulevard and Belmont Avenue – as Beverly Boulevard was closed from Union Avenue to Bixel Street for the event. The actual ribbon cutting occurred at 6:45pm, and the gateway’s lights illuminated for all to see at 6:50pm. The new landmark gives Angelenos and Filipino-Americans alike an additional reason to celebrate during the May observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, officially dubbed “Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star”, spans Beverly Boulevard at Belmont Avenue near the 1st Street Bridge. It marks the eastern entrance into the neighborhood. The 30-foot-tall, 82-foot-wide steel arch is the largest of its kind in the United States, serving as a monument to the Filipino- American community. Fil-Ams make up one of the largest Asian-American groups in California, but they have never had the same visibility as...... Read more on Full Issue!



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