Rather than looking farther into one cultural background and then the other, I decided to take a closer look at the experience of being both.

I grew up in a multicultural family where my grandfather was Black and my grandmother was Filipina. We were all very close growing up and spent most of our time in the same house (“Nanay’s House”). This resulted in my Aunt, Uncle, and Dad, as well as all of my cousins, brother, and myself sharing a very similar life experience.

I decided to ask these family members about their experiences being multicultural. I found there was a recurring theme in what both generations were saying. All of them explained having an identity crisis for most of their lives; they did not know who they were or where they fit in. As a result, they felt compelled to choose one race or the other. It was always easier for us all to solely identify as Black but that ignored much of our family and upbringing. This forced us to repress much of who we were so society could identify us more easily. I realized they all felt the same way I did.

I spent much of my life feeling the need to choose one culture but not fully fitting into either one. It wasn’t until I got older that I understood I could exist as both. I realized that I did not need to fit into a singular box.