AUTHORS NOTES

This story was inspired by the real history of Filipino American farmworkers, especially the Manongs who came to the U.S. in the early 1900s and helped lead the farm labor movement. I wanted to show how family stories, food, and everyday life keep history alive. I used Cecilia Tsu’s chapter “Reds, Communists, and Fruit Strikers” to help shape Grandpa’s backstory, especially the parts about his harsh working conditions and low pay. I used the “Little Manila: Filipinos in California’s Heartland” documentary to describe where Grandpa lived and what life was like in Little Manila—like the boarding houses, the dance halls, and the markets. The NPR article on Larry Itliong and the Delano Grape Strike helped me write the part where Grandpa remembers joining the strike in 1965. Finally, Linda Trinh Võ’s chapter on ethnography inspired how the character BJ learns about history, not through textbooks, but through food, storytelling, and time spent with his grandfather. These stories are not always taught in school, but they are part of American history. No AI was used to create this story. _ Colin Palmitos