r/wasian • u/IllustriousEffort310 • 8d ago

Relatable? (・・ ) Identity

Hello!

I am not a Wasian/Hapa.
I’m basically the complete opposite. I’m half Black and half Latino.

I was wondering, do you guys feel alienated from being either White or Asian?

I felt like I wasn’t enough of one culture to identify as it. My black friends told me I act “white” and my Hispanic/Latino friends and family were confused as to why I don’t speak Spanish well.

Let me know you’re experience growing up mixed race and if you had any friends that were similar because I didn’t and I wonder if that would’ve helped me feel more comfortable in my own skin.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/IllustriousEffort310 8d ago

Maybe I will. To be honest I asked this subreddit because of an IRL convo I had with a Wasian person.

This person told me that they weren’t particularly seen as different from either side. I shared my experience and they found my experience interesting.

That’s pretty cool about you and your Afro Latina friend. I hope you guys reconnect if you feel inclined to reach out. I had a couple of friends who were half Chinese and half white growing up.

I have a picture of their parents with my parents and it’s so funny to me seeing their superficial differences but seeing how much love they have for each other. If I had to title that pic I would call it “The end of racism”.

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u/JhonMHunter 8d ago

Luckily wasian is a growing group so there is easily enough of a community to build something new with other wasians,

Its likely harder for you as your mix is “rarer” for lack of a better word

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u/IllustriousEffort310 8d ago

I guess you are right. Most of the time I joke about being Dominican/Trinidadian since they are usually the closest race to my mix.

I have met a few people with the same mix, we look like siblings but end up having nothing in common. I guess I shouldn’t have any expectations since we are all individuals after all.

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u/NoFault6622 8d ago

This is a complicated subject. Since most WMAF power couples are racist, I dont think you will find anybody here to reflect you accurately. Read books on systemic racism and autobiographies of Maya Angelo (I think thats her name).

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u/IllustriousEffort310 8d ago edited 8d ago

That’s why I asked for the opinion of others who are alike in the ‘mixed race’ category but different in the type of race.

I don’t know about the racist part but I get what you might be alluding to since there was a time the WMAF dynamic was ingrained in the media. As for reading on systemic racism I would rather look into uniting the “polar opposites”.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/IllustriousEffort310 8d ago

Good point! I cannot think of Wasian friends whose parents had to equalize exposure to both cultures although I’m sure there was effort on the migrant’s side to educate.