Continuing the Torch | The Inspirational Journey of Darleen Bohulano Mabalon, Carrying on Her Late Sister's Legacy In the FilAM Community and Beyond

It is a fact that the bond and love shared between sisters can never be broken. Five years after the passing of her sister, Dr. Dawn Mabalon, Darleen Bohulano Mabalon is continuously carrying on her legacy and giving back to the Filipino-American community in any way that she can. 

Dr. Dawn was a strong pillar in the Filipino community and beyond. She is best known for co-founding the Little Manila Foundation, working as a professor of history at San Francisco State University, being a board member of the Filipino American National Historical Society, and writing a number of books that to this day have a massive impact on people across the globe.

Her sister, Darleen, currently works for San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services in Human Resources as part of their recruitment team, employee benefits and assists with staff development. She is greatly involved in the Filipino American community in Stockton through her work as an entertainment coordinator for up and coming non profit organization, Kommunity Hub and through promoting her sister’s life work. In addition to this, she is a mother to three game changers, who are leaving a mark on and off the (basketball) court. 

The two sisters were born and raised in Stockton, California in a household that contained a mix of Filipino traditions and American influence. 

“When my grandma came here, she was a school teacher. Her and my grandfather spoke different dialects. That’s why we didn’t really learn a lot of Tagalog. My grandma was very English-english and she wanted to really submerge herself into American culture. She became part of the American Legion. But she was still very involved in her Filipino organizations. She was one of the founders of the Filipino-American Teachers Association,” shared Darleen. 

Despite the American influence, Dawn and Darleen were raised with Filipino values. Both of them were active members of the Filipino-American community, taking part in events and gatherings like the Barrio Fiesta, which was held annually in the historic Filipino Plaza in Stockton. 

Recalling her sister’s early years in education, Darleen mentioned, “My mother was her first teacher. She was at the library every Saturday with her and she would come home with these stacks of books and then the next week, not even in the middle of the week, she would say, ‘I’m ready for more books.’ She would compete in spelling bees and essay writing contests. What’s crazy is in High School, I think she got bored because there was a time where she was actually failing out of school. They had to sit her down in her junior year and tell her that if she didn’t straighten up that she would go down the wrong path. She ended up staying and fixing her grades. She didn’t make grades to transfer to a UC, but she went to San Joaquin Delta College and that’s where she found herself and ended up transferring and getting a scholarship at UCLA.”

Dawn went on to be an editor at the newspaper in her college years. She gravitated towards journalism and grew even deeper into her passion for books and words. Her passion for history and activism, however, was something that came from an even earlier age.

“She loved history. I remember watching the full three hour Malcolm X at 8 years old with her. We were protesting, I was 9 years old in San Francisco. She was always teaching everybody about cultures and injustices of the world. That was always her from Middle school on,” mentioned Darleen. 

Darleen’s passion, on the other hand, was performing. Whether it was singing or dancing, she gave her all on every stage of every performance. While dancing was a natural love for her, she found her love for singing after listening to a Mary J. Blige album. 

“Because I didn’t speak Tagalog there was a little bit of me trying to find who I was. In middle school, that’s when I really started to hang out with other Filipinos and I was more involved in basketball, singing groups, harmony groups, hip hop dance groups. I got really involved in clubs with other Filipinos. I would do karaoke. My sister and I loved singing karaoke. When I would visit her at UCLA, we would hit karaoke bars and I would get up on stage and sing with her. She was always the one to get me to sing,” mentioned Darleen. 

Despite managing a busy schedule and working through never-ending to-do lists, Dr. Dawn continued to stay driven on her mission to shed light on the history of our Filipino-American ancestors in Stockton. She was often seen sharing about the unknown efforts of Filipino Americans in the 20th Century farm labor movement, which are often overlooked. Throughout her career, Dr. Dawn accumulated a long list of awards and achievements, including being recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World by Filipino Women's Network and an honorable mention for the Frederick Jackson Turner Award. Even after all of these years, she is still recognised for her work by people internationally. 

“I was always in awe. She would teach a class then have a Little Manila meeting, and then she would still make time for everyone else. She truly loved her community and family. To see that she is in curriculums at schools for ethnic studies is huge. My family is overjoyed to see that because she fought for ethnic studies to remain in schools. I get pictures here and there from my kids' friends and they’re like, ‘isn’t this your sister?’ Or they tell my kids, ‘hey, I saw your aunty in my class.’ My kids are sitting in class and they’re watching their aunt on the screen. It’s huge that everybody is inspired by her story and how she started. She just continues to impact everybody” mentioned Darleen.

The 2022 Filipino American History Month Festival, popularly known as FAHM Fest dedicated the entire event to Dr. Dawn as they celebrated her life and shed light on all of the remarkable things that she was able to achieve throughout her time on earth. Helping organize the event was none other than her sister, Darleen. 

“When Mariah presented the opportunity, I felt that with Little Manila, I didn’t do enough in being involved because the kids were still little at the time. So it was exciting to jump on board and make sure that my sister was in there somewhere, carrying her with me and talking about her at any moment that I can through Kommunity Hub. I am one of the entertainment coordinators along with Jeff Bayani. We help when it comes to fundraising and events and help gather entertainment. We handle hospitality for the entertainments and setup. I think that showcasing our talent is a way of giving back. We all are super talented and I feel like I want to share all of this.” 

Alongside the rest of the Kommunity Hub team, Darleen has played an instrumental role in bringing life to the fun-filled days of the events that they produce. So far, she has worked with a number of popular Filipino American talents, including rapper and spoken word artist, Ruby Ibarra and legendary groups like One Vo1ce and Dakila. 

To this day, Darleen makes it a point to carry on Dr. Dawn’s legacy in any way that she can. 

“I get really excited to share her story. Anything about her nonprofits, I encourage everybody to always read her books and poetry. “Little Manila is in the Heart” was her baby because that was her dissertation. Also, the “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” co-written by Ate Gayle Romasanta. She was in the midst of writing the adult version of the Lary Itliong story. I share about how she fought for ethnic studies and how important it is for everybody. That’s what I like to think of when I keep her legacy alive while continuing to try to be as involved as I can within the community,” mentioned Darleen. 

When asked what advice she would give to those who wish to follow in her and her sister’s footsteps, Darleen shared, “Be at the table, be in the room, be in the conversation. Never miss an opportunity to be part of history. I feel like that sparks people to learn their own history. Know yourself, know your surroundings, start conversations.” 

---

Written By Nico Belasco

Photographer, Writer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Creative

---