Delano Manongs Park: Grand Opening and Fiesta

On April 18, the Milpitas City Council unanimously approved a recommendation to name a 4-acre park located in the Milpitas Metro Specific Plan area, the Delano Manongs Park. The Delano Manongs represent a courageous group of Filipino farmworkers who revolutionized the working conditions and wages of American laborers. The movement was known as the Delano Grape Strike of 1965, which was led by community leader and labor organizer Larry Itliong. It lasted for five years and involved 1,500 Filipino-American agricultural workers or ‘manongs’ (an Ilocano term that means older brother or uncle) going on a labor strike. This set the stage for the boycott that would lead civil American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and thousands of farmworker families to create the nation’s pioneering agricultural labor union, the United Farm Workers. 

The Delano Manongs Park is directly north of the newly constructed Mabel Mattos elementary school along McCandless Drive. It includes joint-use park areas for the City and the elementary school, sports field, picnic areas, all-inclusive play structures, dog park, walking trails, and restrooms. This project was a collaboration in part between the City of Milpitas and the Milpitas Unified School District and was funded in part through a grant from the Santa Clara County All Inclusive Playground Grant Program. The Park will also include a new pedestrian bridge over the Penitencia East Channel and a potable water well required to meet the increase in water demands due to growth in the Metro Specific Plan Area. 

“This is an unbelievably historic event in Milpitas. It is only fitting that we designate this space to memorialize a great example of what it means to stand up for what is right and coming together to enable change,” said Mayor Carmen Montano. 

Mayor Carmen Montano and Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua moved forward with a recommendation to Council to name the new park at the naming subcommittee meeting held on March 2, 2023. The City Council voted 5-0 for the name change. 

“I look forward to watching future generations gather and learn about the importance and legacy of the Delano Manongs I am excited that this green space will enhance the lives and well-being of residents in numerous ways. It is a great facility that will create a sense of community,” said Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua. 

The Delano Manongs Park dedication and grand opening will be held this Saturday, October 14 at 1650 McCandless Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035 from 11 am to 2 pm.