✊ RESIST: From Mactan to Main Street — #NoKings and the Legacy of Lapulapu 🇵🇭
✊This July 4, as Americans celebrate independence, thousands have joined the #NoKings protests across the U.S.—calling out authoritarianism, corporate greed, and systemic inequality. For us Filipino Americans, these calls echo something deeper, older, and personal. Before 1776, before George Washington and the Boston Tea Party, Lapulapu of Mactan was already saying “No” to empire. Published on: Friday, July 4, 2025 In 1521, Spanish colonizer Ferdinand Magellan landed on our shores with a flag and a cross, expecting submission. But Datu Lapulapu—tattooed, fearless, and free—stood tall and resisted. In the Battle of Mactan , Lapulapu and his warriors, with little more than blades and bravery, defeated Magellan and sent a message that still rings through time: No kings. No colonizers. No compromise. “Before America had its revolution, we were already resisting. Before independence was a holiday, it was our reality. We have been saying NO to kings since 1521.” 🇵🇭 ...
