Episode 37: Manilamen: The First Asian American Settlement in the United States.

The First Asian Settlement in the United StatesSaint Malo, located in a Louisiana bayou, was established in the 1763 by Filipino sailors known as the Manila Men. Fleeing harsh working conditions on Spanish ships, these men found refuge in the isolated marshlands, where they built a thriving fishing village. The Manila Men revolutionized the shrimping industry with techniques like “dancing the shrimp” and contributed to Louisiana's economy. Despite facing storms and discrimination, they built a self-governing community and intermarried with women of other races, contributing to the complex tapestry of American identity. The village was destroyed by a hurricane in 1893, but its legacy endures in the descendants of the Manila Men and the efforts to preserve their story. The site of St. Malo itself is disappearing due to coastal erosion and climate change, but the historical marker erected nearby ensures that the history of the first permanent Filipino settlement in the United States will not be forgotten.