WE WON'T MOVE

We Won't Move
A Presentation by the Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Young 184
October 28@7:30PM

As part of Filipino Heritage Week, the brotherhood of Chi Rho Omicron will be hosting a presentation by the Manilatown Heritage Foundation.

The International Hotel Manilatown Center will be a place that uniquely recognizes the Pilipino-American culture and experience in one of the largest cities in the United States. This is empowerment.

We are asking for the help of the greater Davis community for the establishment of the International Hotel Manilatown Center to honor the spirit of the I-Hotel and old Manilatown.

This community center in the heart of San Francisco will host performing arts, exhibitions, workshops, and more to serve the people.

The Manilatown Heritage Foundation's Mission: In the spirit of the International Hotel, we seek to foster community development, create an accessible environment, celebrate Filipino-American culture, and bridge communities and generations.

The International Hotel Manilatown Center will honor San Francisco's Manilatown as the heart of the Filipino community. It will house a permanent collection of photographs, artwork, and artifacts reflecting the traditions of the Filipino people. It will also include a theater for performing arts, and space for community workshops, exhibitions, and cultural events serving San Francisco communities.

Background on the I-Hotel

The International Hotel, otherwise known as the I-Hotel, was once was the heart of the old Manilatown in downtown San Francisco. It was home to over a hundred senior citizens primarily of Pilipino descent. The above photograph was taken in 1977. On August 4, four hundred police officers in full riot gear crushed the barricade of three thousand protestors surrounding the building. The doors of the building were smashed in, and the remaining Manongs were dragged out of the building to live on the streets.

Just two years later, the I-Hotel was a hole in the ground, and corporate owners planned on constructing a parking structure. But the fight didn't end there. Organizations like the MHF fought for decades, and nearly 30 years later, the International Hotel has been rebuilt with 104 units of low income housing. The I-Hotel will reopen in April 2005.

http://www.davisxpo.com/gallery/history

-Victor
xpo::one.eight.five::zeta.delta