A Decade of Cultural Preservation and Community Building
San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, known as SOMA Pilipinas, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of community building and cultural preservation. The event, themed “Dekada: Continuing a Decade of Community Arts, Activism and Cultural Impact,” reflected on the district’s achievements while highlighting ongoing challenges such as displacement and defunding.
SOMA Pilipinas was one of the first cultural districts in California to receive state designation from the California Arts Council in 2017. It spans 1.5 miles, bounded by Market Street to the north, Brannan Street to the south, Eleventh Street to the west, and Second Street to the east. Officially recognized as the Filipino Cultural Heritage District by the city of San Francisco in 2016, it has evolved into a vibrant cultural ecosystem shaped by generations of Filipino families, artists, activists, and workers.
Collaborative Efforts and Legacy Organizations
Over the past decade, SOMA Pilipinas has collaborated with various organizations, including Bayanihan Equity Center, Bill Sorro Housing Program, Bindlestiff Studio, Filipino Mental Health Initiative, Galing Bata, Kularts, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, and SOMCAN. These partnerships have been instrumental in advancing community-based strategies for stabilization and language access.
Angelica Cabande, executive director of SOMCAN, emphasized the importance of these collaborations. She highlighted efforts to landmark the Mint Mall, preserve rent-controlled housing, and establish the first Filipino interpretation and translation courses at San Francisco City College.
A Model for Cultural Placemaking
As one of California’s original state-designated cultural districts, SOMA Pilipinas serves as a blueprint for what cultural placemaking can achieve when rooted in community power and sustained advocacy. The California Cultural Districts program, initiated through Assembly Bill 189 in 2015, now includes more than two dozen districts.
Maria Jenson, executive director of SOMArts and chair of the San Francisco Arts Alliance, praised SOMA Pilipinas for its collaborative approach. She noted the district’s role in creating public art, transforming South of Market into an outdoor gallery, and advocating for equity among community-based artists and institutions.
Key Milestones and Achievements
Public Art Transformation
More than 40 public artworks, murals, crosswalks, light installations, and cultural landmarks define SOMA Pilipinas as one of San Francisco’s most vibrant open-air galleries. In the past year alone, 10 new Filipino murals and public art pieces were completed, including the restoration of “Ang Lipi ni Lapulapu,” the first mural depicting the history of Filipino immigration to the Americas.
Small Business Sustainability
Sustained advocacy has helped protect Filipino residents, seniors, and small businesses from displacement. This includes securing a $2 million APEC small business mitigation fund that benefited 200 businesses and cultural institutions.
Visibility Through Landmarking
Successful campaigns have led to the recognition of historically significant sites, such as the Mint Mall and Hall, honoring Filipino American history and cementing the community’s role in San Francisco’s cultural fabric.
Community Stabilization and Site Acquisition
Advocacy for the historic API Equity Fund supported five Filipino legacy organizations in SOMA to purchase and develop their own buildings, stabilizing community services and cultural institutions for future generations. A cultural center is set to open in 2027.
Supporting Filipinx Artists
The MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy art exhibit, in partnership with YBCA, featured over 20 contemporary Filipinx artists alongside historical objects and archival materials. This first-of-its-kind exhibition reclaims the South of Market Filipino community’s history of resistance and self-determination.
Defunding Threatens Progress
Despite these accomplishments, the district faces challenges from funding cuts and displacement pressures. The same forces—institutional racism, rising real estate costs, and divestment in communities of color—continue to threaten the community.
To address these challenges, SOMA Pilipinas launched the Dekada: Power the Next Decade giving campaign, aiming to raise $100,000 to sustain community stabilization, public art, cultural programming, and advocacy. The campaign invites organizations, corporations, and individuals to help reach the goal by September 24, 2026, culminating in a dance party at SOMArts Cultural Center.
2026 Calendar of Events
- May 22: The 28th Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration with Canon Kip
- May 29: The Certificate of Preference Community Forum
- June 24: SOMA Pilipinas Gateway / Russ Street Presentations with Gateway Artist, Franceska Gamez
- August 2: Valkyries Filipino Heritage Night with SOMA Pilipinas
- September 4: Sun Dome installation (Public Artwork in Yerba Buena Gardens)
- September 24: SOMA Pilipinas Dekada Dance Party at SOMArts Cultural Center
- October (Filipino American History Month): Victoria Manalo Draves Park 20th Anniversary
- December 12: 24th Annual Parol Lantern Festival
