I had the privilege to visit Little Manila in Stockton last week with one of my closest friends from the East Coast. In 1946, Stockton became the home to the largest Filipino community in the U.S. and a little area of downtown was labeled as Little Manila. During that time, Little Manila was surrounded by restaurants, stores, labor unions and social organizations that provided services and a sense of community to immigrants isolated by intense segregation. City redevelopment and highway construction in the 50's and 60's devastated the physical and social fabric of Little Manila. There were only 3 original buildings: the Mariposa Hotel, the Rizal Social Club and the Filipino Recreation Center, and a strong sense of memory and ownership among the local Filipino community remained when preservation advocates spurred the City of Stockton to declare Little Manila a local Historic Site in 2000.
You can check Little Manila Foundation's website to find out how you can help in preserving this quaint community in Stockton.When you visit Stockton, make sure to stop by Filipino Food Express, located at:
1650 South El Dorado Street
Stockton, CA 95206-2022
(209) 464-1461
(209) 464-1461
The owners are so welcoming and even called the Little Manila Foundation if we can get their calendar. Unfortunately, it is only available online. We had kare kare, pansit, dinuguan and papaitan. I will definitely visit this restaurant again.
