Starting from a school project I embarked this past semester, I decided to truly pursue it and create this weekly newsletter that explores mine and other children of Filipino immigrants who were part of the diaspora and their identities as Filipino-American (or wherever you currently live: Filipino-British, Filipino-Mexican…).
This desire to take on a niche newsletter like this is because I felt like there’s not enough conversation on what it’s like to be a Filipino living in the West, and how much of our culture and identities have changed and evolved. From my experiences of living in different countries and cultures, I think it’s so fascinating to see how different the generations are and their perspectives and ideas from different upbringings - from the friends and people we meet to the politics and social issues we’re exposed to.
As a Filipino-British (and soon to be American), I wanted to write about culture and identity which I’ve shown in my body of work. I hope that, through my essays and interviews, I start conversations and encourage more appreciation and recognition for Filipino culture.
To whoever is reading this, I hope you join me in my journey of discovering my roots - old ones from the past as we look at history and our ancestors, to new roots as we’re learning and evolving amongst the politics and social events we’re experiencing.