During the 1969-1970 academic year, amidst the popularity of the Civil Rights Movement and the height of the anti-war protests towards the Vietnam War, five of the first Filipino-American students on the UC Davis campus founded Mga Kapatid, the Filipino American Student Association.
Mga Kapatid, which means my brothers and sisters in Tagalog, was established to focus on the needs and concerns of the Filipino American community, by addressing the issues within the community. Mga Kapatid was also established as an outlet to educated Filipino Americans and others about Filipino Culture and heritage, through events such as a Pilipino Culture Night.
Mga Kapatid, UCD's largest Filipino American organization, is now 200 members strong and supports the other Filipino and Filipino American Organizations and students through the campus. It also continues to show the beauty and diversity of the Filipino and Filipino American cultures, as well as offer many ways to serve, learn, and to become involved in the community through various events and programs.
The purpose of Mga Kapatid is to provide personal, social, and academic support to it's members while remaining non-partisan in political affairs.
To support and encourage the activities of BRIDGE (Filipino Outreach and Retention Program), The Filipino Association for Health Careers (FAHC), the Filipinos in Liberal Arts and Humanities (FILAH), the Pilipino Americans in Science and Engineering (PASE), Kappa Psi Epsilon (A Filipina American Sorority), and Chi Rho Omicron (A Filipino American Fraternity).
To enhance appreciation for Filipino and Filipino American cultures and heritage.
To promote appreciation for and develop the significance of the Filipino American community at the University of California, Davis, and in today's society.
And to always aspire to maintain an organized atmosphere that lives up to our name, Mga Kapatid.
