"I knew I wanted to be a revolutionary. I knew I wanted to change the world."
These are the words of Bill Sorro, a man dedicated to social justice and a shaper of the Filipino-American identity. Although he passed away on Aug. 27, 2007, his actions continue to affect thousands of lives, and his legacy as one of the great Filipino-American social leaders will remain.
Born in 1939 in San Francisco, Calif., Sorro grew up in what is known as the Manilatown section of San Francisco, a primarily Filipino-American neighborhood that developed alongside Chinatown. Manilatown grew into a vibrant Filipino-American community that stretched 10 blocks and centered on Kearny Street, a string of grocery stores, nightclubs, pool halls, and barbershops.
In the '50s and '60s when Sorro was growing up, the city of San Francisco was growing as well. City officials wanted to modernize and commercialize, and they saw Manilatown, an area composed mainly of low-rent apartments and local shops, as an anchor holding them back.
As a result, many of Sorro's friends and neighbors were threatened with eviction. Sorro's mother used to bring him and his sister to protest against evictions. Once, when the government threatened to withhold the food stamps that Sorro's family and others depended on, he, his mother, and his sister picketed with the rest of the Manilatown community outside of the San Francisco city hall. According to Ben Evangelista, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, Sorro said that his mother really "shaped the passion that [he felt] for social justice."
In the greater San Francisco area, discrimination and alienation of Filipino-Americans was common. Many felt like outsiders, including Sorro's own father, who was born in the Philippines and, Sorro said, "always felt like a guest" in the United States.
Despite a childhood filled with community involvement, Sorro did not always aspire to be an activist. In his youth, he excelled as a dancer, and thought he would pursue dancing as a profession. A trip to Cuba in his early 20s, however, caused Sorro to become dedicated to promoting social justice, and upon his return to San Francisco, he used his new motivation to fight for the Filipino-American community. In A Serving of Love: The Passion of Bill Sorro, a documentary by R.J. Lozada, Sorro said, "I feel that it's important, particularly for young people, to feel pissed off, but to channel [that anger] with your love." It was this passion and philosophy grounded in love that made Sorro such a pivotal leader in Manilatown's greatest struggle: the battle for the International Hotel.
The International Hotel, or I-Hotel, was a building of one-room apartments that provided housing for poor, Asian-American senior citizens, mostly Filipino-Americans. The I-Hotel was located on Kearny Street at the heart of Manilatown, and its tenants were at the heart of the community. The elderly Filipino-Americans were called "manongs," a term of endearment used by Filipinos to show respect for these valued and beloved residents.
The I-Hotel was also a rallying point for many activists, including Sorro. He and other concerned Manilatown residents would meet at the hotel to discuss issues with affordable housing and immigrant rights.
San Francisco officials, however, were more concerned with building up and commercializing their city than with listening to Manilatown residents. Beginning as early as 1968, the fight began for control of the I-Hotel. The plan of San Francisco officials was to demolish the building to make way for a parking garage, a development that would essentially tear out the heart of Manilatown and replace it with a cold, concrete symbol of commercialism.
Faced with the second-class citizen treatment given to Filipino-Americans during the '70s, Sorro led the fight against eviction of the manongs living at the I-Hotel. He garnered the support of the entire Manilatown community, and other advocates for social justice heard their voice and came to their aid.
After years of protesting, officials became desperate to evict tenants from the I-Hotel and claim their land, and on Aug. 4, 1977, San Francisco police were dispatched to Kearny Street to enforce eviction notices issued by the court.
One of the most infamous events in recent history ensued. At around midnight, an estimated 3,000 protesters had assembled in front of the I-Hotel to block the entry of the police force armed with riot gear. The police were forced to enter the building through windows, tear down doors, and escort tenants out through the mass of press and protesters.
Sorro and others recalled the event as humiliating for the manongs and for the Filipino-American community. The I-Hotel was torn down not long after the forced eviction, and the manongs found lodging anyway they could.
Bill Sorro's commitment to social justice and to his community however, remained standing. Rather than give up on the I-Hotel, he kept the fight going to protest construction on Kearny Street and to rebuild the International Hotel.
In 2005, just two years before Sorro's death, the International Hotel was rebuilt. Only now, in addition to providing low-cost housing to the elderly, it houses the Manilatown Heritage Center, which contains a memorial to the heroic Bill Sorro, a man who inspired a community and gave pride to Filipinos in America.
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