English | Filipino
I identify as mixed-race. My mum is English and my dad Filipino. People usually assume that my Mum is Filipino when they learn my mix. My Mum is here in the UK and Dad lives in the Philippines, but they are still in love and speak every day. It might not be a conventional relationship, but it is how it is and my mum visits when she can It was brought up by my Mum and grandparents from the White side of my family. I hated looking different to my family when I was young but now I’m very happy and proud to be mixed-race. I was quite conflicted when it came to accepting my cultural difference. I felt embarrassed of my Filipino side and I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, everyone close to me was White. Around the same time, I stopped talking to my dad, not that I saw or spoke to him much before then. I think someone who is mixed-race gets stereotyped with whichever race seems visually the most prominent. It’s more accepted in society than it used to be but stereotyping and biases definitely exist for mixed-race people. Even living in a multicultural city like London I see it, but I haven’t experienced anything personally for years. Some experiences of being mixed can be confusing. I’ve been called a ‘Paki’ before which is miles apart from a situation when a friend told me (after pulling him up on a racist slur) that I was White and shouldn’t comment. You can be perceived and judged in so many different ways by people that know zero about you or your ethnic mix, AND those that really should. If I were born again I’d 100% choose to be mixed-race. It gives you a perspective you couldn’t have being a single race (although some people who think they’re a single race really aren’t). The future for those that come from a mixed-race background is a positive one because of projects like this. I think it’s important to bring our stories into light. Hopefully, gradually societies will realise we’re all just humans and our various shades and cultural nuances can all be celebrated. That said there’s still a lot of ignorance out there and I think we’d do well to educate those with a bit of kindness and humor.
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