Union of Democratic Filipinos
Filipino American organization established in 1973 with dual goal of establishing socialism in the US and supporting the National Democratic Movement led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
The Union of Democratic Filipinos (Katipunan ng mga Demokratikong Pilipino, abbreviated as KDP) was a left-wing organization of Filipino Americans in the United States, active from 1973-1986. The KDP embraced the goal of fighting for socialism in the United States and opposing the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines.
Background
The first major wave of Filipino immigration to the United States began after the US colonization of the Philippines. Known as manongs, many people who had come to the US for economic prosperity found themselves working highly exploitative jobs and facing rampant racism. Many Filipino immigrants worked in the agricultural and fish canning industries and began organizing unions to fight for better working conditions and against racial discrimination and exclusionary immigration laws. The Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union was organized in 1933 and gave rise to many influential Filipino labor activists.
A resurgence in radical labor organizing began in the early 1970's when many Filipino youth, inspired by the Civil Rights, Asian American, and anti-Vietnam War movements, began challenging the racist practices in canneries and corruption in their unions. The works of Carlos Bulosan, Chris Mensalvas, Ernesto Mangaoang and other manong labor leaders experienced a revival. These young activists also were also inspired by the revolutions in Cuba, China, and other countries and made connections to the political situation in the Philippines. The KDP was formed in Santa Cruz in 1973 in response to the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos.
“Union of Democratic Filipinos” enters the record as filipino American organization established in 1973 with dual goal of establishing socialism in the US and supporting the National Democratic Movement led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Union, Democratic and Filipinos can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Union of Democratic Filipinos” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Union, Democratic and Filipinos provides the most credible route into that argument.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q105330422. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1973, 1986, 1933 and 1970.
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This entry incorporates text from “Union of Democratic Filipinos” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.