The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) will open its first exhibition at the National Museum of American History on December 23, 2025. The exhibition is titled ‘How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories.’ It is part of the Smithsonian’s semiquincentennial celebration, ‘Our Shared Future: 250.’ The exhibition highlights the migration, labor, and community experiences of Filipino Americans in Stockton, California, from the 1910s to the 1970s. Stockton once had the largest Filipino community outside the Philippines.
The exhibition features more than 50 artifacts. These include three steamer trunks found in 2005 at the Daguhoy fraternal lodge in Stockton’s Little Manila district. One trunk was donated by the nonprofit Little Manila Rising in 2022. The trunks contain personal items such as suits, ceremonial clothing, agricultural tools, photographs, and diaries. These objects document the lives of early Filipino labor migrants, known as manongs, who built communities in California.
The exhibition’s title comes from an embroidered pillowcase found in one of the trunks. The display explores themes of memory and identity among early Filipino migrants. Visitors can view these stories and objects to learn about the Filipino diaspora…