Linda Mabalot collection

Title: Linda Mabalot collection

Dates: 1930-1950

Collection Number: wa002

Creator/Collector: Mabalot, Linda

Extent: 1.70 GB (Digitized and Born-Digital)

Repository: UC Davis. Welga Project, Filipino American Archive and Repository

Abstract: Linda Mabalot, a Filipino American activist and documentarian who created numerous Filipino American documentaries while at Visual Communications. Mabalot worked on several Filipino American documentaries and projects, including Manong (1977) and Planting Roots: a Pictorial History of Filipinos in California (1981). While working on these projects, Mabalot encountered notable Filipino-American farmworker activists, including Philip Vera Cruz and Willie Barrientos. She was renowned for supporting up-and-coming Asian American filmmakers, establishing the Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival.

Language of Material: English

Currently, access is limited to digital collections available at the online repository at http://welgadigitalarchive.omeka.net

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Welga Project, Filipino American Archive and Repository. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the Welga Project, Filipino American Archive and Repository as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the Welga Project, Filipino American Archive and Repository collections.

Linda Mabalot collection. UC Davis. Welga Project, Filipino American Archive and Repository

Linda Mabalot was a Filipino American film maker and community activist. Mabalot was born in Fairfield, California on 1953. She grew up in Liberty Island, a small farming town in the Sacramento Delta. Her Father, Thomas Mabalot, a first generation Filipino American, leased and managed 20 acres of land on the Delta. She spent much of her youth’s years assisting her father harvest beats and tomatoes that grew on the land. Her experiences in the fields, along with the writings of Carlos Bulosan, nurtured an interest in social activism. After high school, Mabalot attended the University of California, Davis and majored in pre-medicine. During her college career, she was active in the Asian Pacific American student movement. On 1977, Mabalot joined Visual Communications, a non-profit organization “dedicated to the honest and accurate portrayals of the Asian Pacific American peoples, communities and heritage through the media arts.” When Visual Communications faced financial troubles in 1985, Mabalot rose to the position of Executive Director. Mabalot worked on several Filipino American documentaries and projects, including Manong (1977) and Planting Roots: a Pictorial History of Filipinos in California (1981). While working on these projects, Mabalot encountered notable Filipino-American farmworker activists, including Philip Vera Cruz and Willie Barrientos. She was renowned for supporting up-and-coming Asian American filmmakers, establishing the Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival. Mabalot passed away on May 19, 2003 at the age of 49.

The Linda Mabalot papers are organized into four series: Oral Histories, 1978; Photographs, 1930-1994; Publications, 1979-1994; Artifacts, 1930-1950; Scripts, 1991-1992. The Oral History Interviews feature one of the most significant items in the collection, particularly with material regarding Filipino American Farmworkers and laborers in the mid-20th century. The Oral History accounts feature various interviews conducted by Mabalot, including interviews with Philip Vera Cruz and Willie Barrientos. The oral history accounts detail Filipino immigration into the United States, the Delano Grape Strikes (1965-1970) and Filipino-Mexican relations in the United Farm Workers. The Scripts series include various drafts regarding Filipino-American documentaries worked on by Mabalot, most notably for the Domingo and Viernes assassinations. This series will be especially insightful regarding Filipino American cannery workers and longshoreman, and the Marcos conspiracy to subvert Filipino American unions. Additional accruals are expected.