Header photo by Eibner Saliba on Unsplash
The Part Filipino Story
If you are like me, you are proud to be part Filipino, even if you don’t know what that means.
You may not know that much about the culture.
Maybe you don’t speak the language.
You might like only some of the food (however it’s pronounced).
When you go to Filipino restaurants, you may feel like a fraud or an outsider.
You’re not even sure if you actually “count” as Filipino.
If you’ve ever had any of these thoughts or feelings, you are living the part-Filipino story! And you are in good company.
There are many people with mixed Filipino heritage who struggle to know exactly what that means. Yet, they want to feel connected to their Filipino roots.
The Mission of the Part Filipino Project
The purpose of the Part Filipino Project is two-fold: (1) explore what it means to be part Filipino, and (2) foster connection with people who feel connected to the Philippines.
The Part Filipino Glossary
As part of this project, I am going to be using the following terms:
Filipino: A person of Filipino descent.
Full Filipino: A person whose parents are both Filipino, who grew up living the Filipino culture, and who speaks Filipino.
Bad Filipino: A person whose parents are both Full Filipino but who does not really know the culture or speak Filipino. A classic example would be a person whose parents came to the United States from the Philippines but was raised American.
Part Filipino: A person with at least one parent who is not Filipino.
Filipino Adjacent: A person who is not Filipino by blood, but has married a Filipino or otherwise has an interest in the Filipino people and culture.
Get Connected!
So whatever type of Filipino you are, I hope the Part Filipino Project can help you know you have a place!
In the Part Filipino podcast, I will discuss my experience as a Part Filipino and share what I learn as I dig deeper into my connection to the Philippines.
I hope you will tune in…
Sincerely,
Leland
Host of Part Filipino
