Bayan Version of "When Did You Realize Your Race?"

Bayan is an Filipino based community where we focus on  Filipinx American experiences, even though not everybody in our program is Filipinx. Both our English and Personal Development classes help us focus on our identities. In October, we did an exercise to share milestones about our racial or cultural identities. We tried to answer a range of questions about "who we are": When did we  become conscious of our racial or cultural identities? What happened? When did this occur? What did we think and feel? What lessons did we learn? 

These discussions are important because it give us each a chance to investigate our personal stories and to notice if we share common experiences,i.e., to see what makes us unique and what binds us together. Sharing also helps with a sense of belonging, perhaps reducing feelings of socially isolation. We can learn from each others’ stories, even as we begin to appreciate that no one story is representative of an entire people. 

Just as important, we wanted to work against the idea that talking about race is “taboo”. We cannot solve problems associated with racial or cultural identity unless we engage in reflection and dialogue. While we are only beginning our exploration, we'd like to share our initial steps with you. 

We used Flipgrid to record our responses.We based this project on a video featured on an episode of MTV's Decoded by Francesca Ramsey called "When Did You Realize Your Race?" To screen an individual story, click on the scholar's image below. Click on the "Decoded" image to screen  Francesca Ramsey's video. 

We welcome any feedback or comments. Perhaps you might share your story with us, too!

- Many thanks to Jessica B. for her assist with this blog post.