Paul Tabayoyon
Wapato Filipino Community Hall Director
Wapato, WA
September 11th, 2025
Upon entering the Historic Filipino Community Hall, our noses picked up the fragrant smell of Filipino cuisine cooking in the adjacent room. Paul Tabayoyon, the executive director of the Asian-Pacific Islander Coalition of Yakima, invited us to this hall in Wapato on September 11th to share how the Filipino-American community in Washington has managed to thrive in the face of discrimination. This is a history that took place within the Yakama Indian Reservation, where the town of Wapato became a hub for many different cultures, including a Filipino-American community which built the aforementioned hall in 1952.
Having grown up in and around the Community Hall and with relatives adorning the walls, including community leaders and veterans of six different conflicts, Paul talked to us about how this hall was a result of and key in the Filipino community’s fight against racist laws and institutions. A series of state and federal Alien Land Laws in the early 20th century had massive effects on Asian communities in the Yakima Valley, preventing them from owning or renting property. Despite this, Paul discusses how, with help from Yakama tribal members, the community established thriving companies within the valley and ultimately organized and advocated for the repeal of said laws.
Paul is engaged in keeping the culture of the Filipino community alive in Wapato. Part of that preservation includes the listing of their hall as a National Historic Landmark, which occurred in 2023, but most of it involves keeping community members engaged through activities such as senior meal programs and youth events. Per Paul’s own words, “We’re just really excited that we do have a lot of youth… I’m glad they can come in here and hang out all day and avoid the crazy.” The Community Hall includes a kitchen which sells Filipino food, and we are very grateful to Paul for paying so all of us could enjoy excellent adobo and some savory lumpia before leaving.
by Everett Calhoun