SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — Everyone who was involved in the Filipino American community has walked into that particular house on Liberty Court off Galway Avenue here.

The two-storey structure is indistinguishable from the rest of the tract homes parallel to Westborough Boulevard, a main artery connecting Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno and South San Francisco, the northern municipalities of San Mateo County. These days the house is mostly quiet. Unlike the many years before autumn 2016.

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Almost half a century earlier, 2444 Liberty Court welcomed visitors of every background from near and far seeking counsel from the lady of the house. By 1985, sociologist-turned-organizer Alice Pena Bulos had achieved celebrity status for espousing innumerable causes in the name of her community.

In the 1990s, she wielded influence like few Filipino Americans could, invoking her battle cry “Empowerment,” becoming the first Fil-Am appointed by a sitting U.S. President to serve on a federal post when Bill Clinton appointed her to the US Council on Aging.

Though consigned to a wheelchair for sciatica in the 2000s, she continued to attract the likes of venture capitalist and former State Controller and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly, who would kneel before her to receive her blessing.

By the second decade of the 21st century, the acknowledged “Godmother of Filipino American Empowerment” was fading from the political circuit if not from the consciousness of Filipinos and non-Filipinos she had guided and endorsed — appointed and elected officials, legislative aides, political and business players. She had lost mobility and her voice, but not her passion to inspire people, most of whom saw her as a mentor, confidante and model.

The powerful Fil-Am who boosted the careers of three generations of leaders died of heart failure on October 21, 2016, leaving behind her daughter ,Elizabeth, grandchildren Charity, Charles and Clarke and their families, relatives and countless friends and allies, whom she touched with her generosity of spirit.

Hailed

Now the town that became empowerment central for Fil-Ams is giving back to Bulos and the Filipino American community with a tribute fittingly set on the week after Mothers’ Day.

Imagine her elation had she witnessed the election last year of the first Filipino Americans to her home city council, both of whom consistently hail her as their role model.

Council Member Mark Nagales, former legislative aide to Bulos’ longtime friend SSF Council Member-then-Assembly Member Gene Mullin before joining the Office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, constantly names Bulos in his remarks to Filipinos.

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City Council Member Flor Nicolas, the first Fil-Am woman elected in her town, had turned to Bulos for political advice when she decided to heed their common friend South San Francisco Mayor Karyl Matsumoto’s encouragement to run for office.

“Although she is not here with us anymore, I could almost hear her voice and see her smiling face when I found out about my winning the November election,” Nicolas said. “Many times she urged me to run, but I kept on telling her that it was not the right time. I had children to bring up and career to develop. At my age, I thought the time had passed and the right time to run for an elected position will never come, but it did. I want to show her my gratitude for the seeds she planted that (are) the fruits I now reap.”

Nicolas is at the forefront of “Filipino American Empowerment: Celebrating the Legacy of Alice Pena Bulos,” a campaign initiating a photography drive and oral history project launched by the South San Francisco Public Library. Honoring Bulos was the brainchild of Eva Martinez, librarian/archivist of the SSPL History Room.

Missing

South San Francisco Public Library has three sites. The Grand Library on 306 Walnut Avenue off Grand Avenue is a historic Carnegie Library and registered as a historic landmark, having been built in 1916 on a $10,000 grant from industrialist Andrew Carnegie. It houses a treasure trove of “local yearbooks, memorabilia, newspaper issues and clippings, journals, government documents, maps, phone books, pamphlets, books, oral history tapes, and magazines” plus “thousands of photographs.”

Martinez, reference librarian since 2017, was tasked to “look at their history room which hadn’t had any one managing it for at least 10 years.” Her eye immediately discerned that the system’s historical records “did not truly reflect the diversity” of the town.

“We noticed that the stories of women, African Americans, Asians and Latinos were slim or missing,” she told INQUIRER.NET. “For Asians in particular we wanted to capture the stories of the Filipino community: when the community began, how it had developed over time, and the accomplishments and hardships.”

Organizing the History Room encouraged Martinez and two library assistants to embark on a series to increase material on “unrepresented communities” beginning with a program for Black History Month.

“We also noted a problem with the stories of the women who lived here or were born during the early days of SSF,” added Martinez. “They were only mentioned in the context of their husbands’ or fathers’ accomplishments. So, we decided to delve into their stories, too. Currently there is a display at the Grand library highlighting the lives of 4 amazing local women. Honoring Alice Bulos hits two of these marks.”

Martinez wanted to time the project for May, Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month. She reached out to the South San Francisco Asian Alliance, a 10-year-old organization formed to celebrate and “empower APIs through advocacy and philanthropy.” Among its board member is Hilda Barradas, liaison to the public library, also a FilAm.

“Hilda contacted me to ask if I knew Alice,” said Nicolas, a founding member of the organization. “I jumped at the chance and spread the word, including contacting Alice’s family” and community leaders familiar with Bulos’ lifetime service.

Nicolas is one of the last political aspirants to benefit from Bulos’ mentorship. Their relationship went all the way to 1988, when the leader spotted the newcomer at All Souls Church, also in South city.

Change maker

“Tita Alice approached us, introduced herself and gave me a card showing that she was one of the County’s commissioners [Commission on Status of Women]. She told us that if we need anything, simply call her,” recalled Nicolas, who was “somewhat intimidated” by the matriarch who happened to be the grandmother of a classmate of Nicolas’ daughter. Bulos invited the Nicolases to her home the very next weekend to meet fellow Filipinos engaged in the community, having heard that Nicolas and husband, Nenar, were interested in involvement.

Nicolas later gave Bulos a ride to events, observing her in action, getting personal advice.

“‘I learned from her that for us to effect change, we Filipinos, should participate in the political process. Otherwise, we will always be taken for granted. We need to be patient with our fellow Filipinos,” said the well-known church and community volunteer.

The counsel proved spot-on with Nicolas victorious in her first campaign, as was Nagales.

“She is truly the grand dame of the Filipino political empowerment. She inspired many Filipinos to run for office and unite behind each other,” said Nicolas, who’s optimistic that Bulos’ mentees will turn out for the May 18 tribute.

The SSF Grand Library History Room will offer space to relive those days when everyone’s “Tita Alice” opened her home to them.

“Our main goal is to collect primary source materials through the oral history projects so that these communities can tell their own story in their own words,” Martinez said from an archivist conference in Long Beach.

The May 18 event takes place 10 am – 12 noon at the Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco. It will feature a slide show about the Bulos and the community followed by guest speakers who will address the work of the city’s most famous Filipino American resident.