In the middle of downtown amid the shops, is the Junau’s Filipino Community Hall.
If you’re walking past it, you might pass by it and not notice it’s attractive. The windows aren’t that impressive. to let visitors peek inside, just the humble plaque that announces what it’s about. However, for over 50 years, it’s been a real and symbolic home for the town’s Filipino community.
A large portion of Juneau’s Filipinos have been raised in this house. However, things have changed over time. The building is becoming older and so are many of the residents who made this house their home. Today, a large portion of their grandchildren and children have their own goals.
Through the years over the years, the Filipino community Hall was a popular place for people who were new to the Phillipines to experience an identity of belonging. Families brought their children to the hall to celebrate their birthdays and connect with their roots.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We were all able to dress in costumes and were excited about our events back then,” says Alex “Junior” Carrillo in the episode. “Now it’s difficult to get children to participate or even attend the parties anymore since it’s an entirely different experience – it’s different. I’m not sure what to say about it but as you can imagine that they didn’t grow here anymore. .”
The hall still hosts bingo nights on a weekly basis and celebrations for the holidays, and recently Filipino Community, Inc. has been working to offer dance and language classes once more. However, membership isn’t as high and getting people to come back to the hall is crucial for its continued existence.
Through the eyes of older people who recall the hall’s beginnings as an ordinary pool hall to the current generation of leaders, Adelyn Baxter explores the roots that led to Juneau’s FilCom Hall and what it has to offer the community today.
