Flora are commata helped pave the way
for Asian Americans in education. She
really helped a lot of the
administrator that went on
to become principals and
administrators for Stockton
Unified and even not even stopping at
Sacramento. Also, Eddie
Mata is Flora are
Commata son. He said he didn't
realize the impact she had until
he got older. Her first class are
in their 80s right now and a lot of
those became professionals, teachers,
doctors, lawyers and over the years
they you know they would see her.
He said his mom gave kids
help for their future South
Stockton. You know the tough
neighborhood and she would always just
say you're going to become a principal.
You're going to become a soup.
And funny thing is, a lot of them did.
Flora was born in
1917. She was originally from Hawaii
and moved to Stockton as a child and
lived in Stockton's Little, Manila.
Historians consider Stockton having
one of the largest populations of
Filipinos in the US in the early
to mid 1900s after the US took
the Philippines as a colony.
Many came here searching for
an opportunity such as a
job or a college education.
Other time her family says it was difficult
to go to college because of the cost.
Flora Sister received a full
ride scholarship to Stanford,
but instead worked in the fields to
put her younger siblings through
college like Flora and UCLA.
Flora was one of the few women in
her class and
it's where she met her husband.
Vidal matta. She was the first Filipino
American woman to graduate from UCLA.
The Filipino American National Historical
Museum in Stockton said it was difficult
for some Filipino Americans to be
considered for professional jobs,
and many ended up working in agriculture and
service line of work. Then they
couldn't find a job here in
Stockton or anywhere really,
even in eleh Flora
and her husband decided to move to
the Philippines in the late 1930s to
get teaching jobs and stayed there
until the end of World War Two.
They moved back to Stockton in 1947.
However, getting a teaching job was not easy.
She talked about some of the
hard time that she would,
but she almost talked about it
in a positive way, like when
she went to the interview,
she got there just so you're you're
Asian Pacific Islander and then
the first thing the lady said was.
You speak very good English,
you know, like that in my mom's.
Oh yeah, she and she would smile
and she would laugh about it.
You know she said and she said
this is these are the things she
didn't call it a prejudice or she
just said you know these are things
that you have to not even overcome.
So you just have to move on with that.
And says she always remained
positive throughout her career
no matter what she faced.
Teaching was her passion and she
taught until she could no longer drive.
She talked to. She was 81.
In her decades of teaching,
not only did she influence her community,
her students and fellow Asian
Americans to become educators,
but also her family.
Many of them are in the education
field from her own children
to her great grandchildren.
In 2019, the Stockton Unified School
District announced it needs a new
elementary school in her honor,
a group called Little Manila Rising,
which are advocates for
the Filipino community,
held a campaign to make it happen,
calling her a trailblazer,
breaking through many racial barriers.
Camadas favor, please
signify by saying aye aye.
The Filipino community really backed
up that was really an in Tennessee,
so I was happy, but she was very.
Very humble person.
She go to assemblies and awards
and things and she would
just say oh that's very nice.
You know, she said.
But it's another day you keep
moving and that's what she said so.
Lauren never had a chance
to see that school and her
name on this sign she passed away
at the age of 95 in 2013,
percent said she was always so modest.
He doesn't know if she truly
realized how much of a difference
she made in people's lives.
Her job was more than just
a job, it was a calling.