From Filipino White Supremacy to Black Lives Matter
My Filipino American journey as a privileged Brown Asian immigrant
(This essay has been updated as “How A ‘Secret Asian Man’ Embraced Anti-Racism”, which can be found at https://laist.com/2020/09/25/race-in_la_how_a_secret_asian_man_embraced_anti-racism.php.)
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3–5)
I came to deeply realize that Black lives matter in slow, sustained increments. This happened over decades as non-Filipinos would occasionally challenge my own racial and ethnic identity, and after years of intensive doctoral-level schooling on racial disparities in public health. Unlike most Black Americans, I am privileged enough to not be constantly downplayed, second-guessed, disparaged, mistrusted, even threatened because of how I look…
