About
The Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) community digital archive preserves the stories of the manong and manang generation (Ilokano: "older brother" and "older sister"), the first wave of Filipino migrant farmworkers to arrive in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Focused on the pioneering families of Watsonville and the greater Pajaro Valley, the archive enshrines the manong, the Filipina and non-Filipina women who married the manong, and their descendents’ memories of migration, labor, leisure, and community formation. The digital archive includes oral histories, family photographs, family heirlooms, letters and correspondences, and newspaper clippings. MORE
Contribute to the Archive
We are always looking for new stories and materials that represent the diverse and under-documented Filipino communities of the Pajaro Valley. If you are interested in participating in an oral history interview or if you would like to see your family collection represented in our digital archive, please fill out this survey or contact us at wiith@ucsc.edu to make arrangements to digitize or record your history. For more information on what this process entails, please see our Objectives, Values, and Process. In addition, for concerns about copyright and ownership, please see our Copyright Policy.
The Watsonville is in the Heart digital archive aims to:
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Amplify vital but often overlooked histories of Filipinos in the Pajaro Valley
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Utilize community-based archiving and historical documentation methods that align with ethnic studies, decolonial, and public history approaches
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Increase accessibility for diverse public audiences including local community members, primary and secondary students, educators, researchers, and scholars
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Highlight visual sources, material culture, and oral accounts that expand our knowledge of manong history along California’s Central Coast
Contact Information:
For general inquiries and to contact the digital archive project directors, email us at wiith@ucsc.edu.
Featured Items
"The Beginning" on Bridge St. Watsonville, CA
A black and white photograph of Hazel Bickel and Bob Mariano’s on their first date. They are standing in front of a car with Buddy the dog, Bobby…
Paul "Skippy" Tabalan DeOcampo Sitting on a Spray Rig
Photograph of Paul "Skippy" Tabalan DeOcampo sitting on a spray rig at the Lazo-Rosser Ranch on San Miguel Canyon Road in the Pajaro Valley. The…
Portrait of Clemente Florendo Sr.
A studio photograph of young Clemente Florendo Sr. that was likely taken in the Philippines. His daughter, Mary Florendo Perry remembered carrying…
Featured Collection
Lopez Family Collection
Arsenio “Archie” Soblechero Lopez was born on December 16, 1905, in the municipality of Villasis, in the province of Pangasinan, in the Philippines.…
Featured Exhibit
I'm Just Nosy: A Guide to Co-Creation & Community Archives with the Filipino American Community from the Pajaro Valley
I'm Just Nosy highlights the Pajaro Valley Filipino American community's genealogical research and archiving expertise. As told by Maia Mislang,...