filipino

Filipino: Identity Beyond a Checkbox

Filipino: Identity Beyond a Checkbox

“You look Chinese, but your last name is Mexican. Is Filipino Mexican-Chinese?” - asked my first white, Irish-Catholic college boyfriend. An unintentionally comical and ignorant question, similar questions have been asked throughout my life. I am 56 years old. This was asked in 1984. Surprisingly, I am asked, much more than I expect, whether Filipinos are Asians. I currently answer, “Yes, that is the box I check on forms.”