I was at a church seminar this morning and had the opportunity to talk with a young man who confessed to coming from a "messy, broken background." I nodded my head, understanding and empathizing with his experiences.

I thought about what it meant for me to grow up in an educationally and financially disadvantaged neighborhood. Moreover, I thought about how my multiracial background (Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese) contributes to the complexity of my identity. As mentioned in my previous blog, I have had the experience of people coming up to me, particularly in the East Coast and South, commenting and observing my seemingly "foreign" and/or "exotic" appearance. My father and I have discussed how unfortunate it is that I am still asked where I'm from, and the person asking the question is expecting me to say more than "San Francisco" or "California." Then there are those who ask me "where I got my tan done," to which I respond, "It's called melanin." Yes, while some strive to get the golden complexion (with a side of skin cancer), my people continue to struggle with the use of whitening products, unknowing scrubbing a natural beauty that has unfortunately been defined as "ugliness."

Of course, there is the other extreme of tokenism. As if I'm the expert and can speak for all Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish people. Immigration? Let's call on April Joy. But, I'm not even an immigrant... Wait, and she's a woman? Added bonus.

While I have been fortunate enough to be raised by a family and community that instilled in me a passion to understand my Filipino and Spanish ancestry (recall from last blog, I wasn't aware of my Chinese background until recently), including food, language, and history, I must confess: I don't have all the answers. People who are not of my ethnic background(s) might even know more about the Philippines, Spain, and especially China, than I do. On the regional level, my ancestors are from the northern region of the Philippines; Madrid, Spain, and; a province outside of Beijing, China. I know little beyond these areas-- it's similar to asking a person from California what it's like to grow up in the South.

Nonetheless, I embrace my complex identity as it has contributed to my ability to think beyond the absolutes of black and white, and acknowledge the gray area in various situations. There is no "one size fits all" solution to any given problem, and not one individual/group, even my own community of young progressives, has all the answers. Though perhaps, if we move beyond ourselves and our "absolutes," maybe we can get somewhere...