A group of young Filipino Americans in Dallas-Fort Worth is looking to make its presence known by building a community center to connect with others with similar backgrounds and help immigrants with their transition to the United States.
For more than 50 years, families from the Philippines have been flocking to North Texas, unsure where to go to meet people with the same cultural background, said Mark Sampelo, co-founder of the Pilipino American Community Endeavor.
The volunteer nonprofit group aims to fix that issue by building a community center to make it easier for Filipinos to find and support one another, Sampelo said. PACE was created in early 2022 to bring greater visibility to Filipinos living in North Texas by hosting outreach events throughout the year.
“We looked around, and we asked ourselves, ‘Why don’t we have a place of our own?’” he said. “Looking at other communities — the Indian, Pakistani, the Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese communities — they have areas where they’re deeply concentrated and have community centers.”
Other Asian American groups in North Texas have gained recognition over the years by claiming pockets in the region, including a Koreatown in Carrollton and Chinatown in Richardson. Recent efforts by the Korean American community led to official statewide designation of a Koreatown in northwest Dallas.
The Filipino American population has been growing in North Texas, but not everyone realizes this, said Stephanie Bautista, PACE’s event planner. More than 80,000 Filipinos live in the region, which is comparable to other Asian American groups in the area, she said.
“What’s important for Asian Americans or Filipino Americans to know is that you have full permission to take up space where you’re at, that you are not part of ‘the other,’” Bautista said. “You are just as valuable as every other culture and person represented in the D-FW area.”
Since PACE formed, its members, who include entrepreneurs, health care professionals, financial advisers, lawyers, artists, architects and community leaders, have been working to create a space at the table for Filipinos in North Texas. A community center is one way they hope to elevate Filipinos’ voices and empower them as a group.
Houston-based Filipino artist Manolo DePerio recently drafted preliminary renderings of the center. His vision includes a library, a banquet hall, classrooms to teach children the Tagalog language, basketball and tennis courts and a senior living center.
Sampelo said many senior members of the community do not have family in the U.S., and a living center could assist them with their needs as they grow older. Moreover, he hopes the center provides resources to small businesses operated by Filipino Americans, including restaurants, which have seen a high turnover over the years.
“While the community center is a physical building, ultimately our hope is just to bring our community together,” Sampelo said, “because it’s not necessarily about the building itself, but finding ways to unite all walks of life.”
He said the center will be open to people regardless of their background in an effort to make sure people have access to the resources they need. Building a community center also speaks to the Filipino value of kapwa, a word that embodies the spirit of unity and togetherness and is central to the mission of PACE.
“Sometimes we’re just so focused on our own objectives that we forget to look out for one another and see ways that we can collaborate,” Sampelo said. “Our hope is outside of the Philippine community, we’re able to collaborate with other minority groups.”
The center also aims to welcome recent immigrants to D-FW and connect them with the proper agencies to get their lives in the U.S. started, including getting the necessary health care and ensuring they have valid visas.
The nonprofit group is looking to local officials to help with funding and support for the center. The first step in the process is to secure $2.2 million to buy land. PACE members have not yet decided on an exact location but want the center to be centrally located.
An all-day market hosted by the group on Sunday strives to raise $100,000. The market, Lone Star Palengke, will feature food and drinks from local Asian vendors, cultural dances, a car show, martial arts shows and a concert with a performance by Los Angeles-based rapper Ruby Ibarra. Former Miss Texas 2022 and Texas House candidate Averie Bishop will be an emcee at the event.
PACE anticipates more than 10,000 people at the event, which will be from 1 to 6 p.m. at Red Tail Pavilion in Plano. Last year’s market attracted more than 7,000 people.
“We’re really trying to help Filipino Americans see D-FW as home and feel like they belong, and that they can truly represent their culture and their people,” Bautista said.
