Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies

The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies was hosted by the UC Davis Asian American Studies Department under the directorship of Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez. The Center's office space was located on the third floor of Hart Hall, room 3117, while our digital archive can be accessed  at https://welgadigitalarchive.omeka.net.

The Bulosan Center's mission was drawn from the life’s work of Carlos Bulosan, worker, writer and activist. We produced, preserved, and disseminated knowledge about the Filipinx experience in the United States and the broader diaspora. Our research and education programs were driven by our close partnerships with community-based organizations. We focused particularly on the most marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable populations in the Filipino community. 

This website page is an archival site for the Bulosan Center to learn about our history. 

From Bulosan to Amado Khaya - The Beginning of a New Era in Filipinx Studies

October 2023

This month marks 5 years since I led the launch of the grassroots fundraising campaign that ultimately led to the creation of the Bulosan Center for Filipinx Studies at UC Davis in 2018.

Since then, we’ve done incredible work in advancing our mission to produce, preserve, and disseminate knowledge about the Filipinx experience in the United States and the broader diaspora. Our research and education programs have been driven by our close partnerships with community-based organizations, and we’ve focused particularly on the most marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable populations in the Filipino community.

In its 5 years, the Bulosan Center has helped to seed numerous projects and initiatives. However, we’ve come to realize that our work can only fully grow and flourish outside of the context of university system. Earlier this year, I retired early from UC Davis in order to break the grounds for our expansion and have been hard at work with my team at transitioning most of the Bulosan Center’s programs to the Amado Khaya Initiative, the non-profit I established to honor the life and legacy of my late son, Amado Khaya Rodriguez Canham. If Carlos Bulosan served as a model for Filipino activism in the early 20th century, I believe Amado Khaya serves as a model for Filipinx activist in the 21st. Thus, the Amado Khaya Initiative feels like an especially ideal site to re-plant the seeds cultivated in the Bulosan Center. Our closing activity for the Bulosan Center was the sponsorship of the 35th biennial conference of the Filipino American Educators Association of California (FAEAC) from September 29th to October 1st.

With us closing our activity for the Bulosan Center, our team is hard at work crafting our upcoming internship programs at the Amado Khaya Initiative. We are excited to announce new internship opportunities in the coming weeks as well as other programs supporting. More information can be found on our Amado Khaya Initiative website and social media @amadokhayainitiative. 

In community,

Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, PhD.