Dominic Lim
Oakland, CA
Like many 1st generation Filipino-American children, my parents never taught me Tagalog (Filipino), because they wanted me and my siblings to speak perfect English. And though I appreciate that they wanted to protect us from racism and bullying regarding any sort of accent we might get from learning Tagalog — I’m saddened by not having that connection with my racial heritage, and in some ways, feel angry towards the apparent race-shame my parents exhibited in not teaching us our own language.
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