Hapa: 1; Of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry. 2; If an individual has one parent whom is Asian/Pacific Islander, and one parent whom is of an ethnicity outside of Asian/Pacific Islander, they would generally be considered Hapa. 3; Damn good looking people
- Urbandictionary.com
Seriously, though, all joking aside... I am 1/4 Filipino. What does that mean? Can I, should I identify as hapa or mixed-race? Does it matter that I look white? That I do not feel connected to Filipino culture? If I do identify as hapa, am I claiming a heritage and a tradition I don't have a right to? If I don't identify as part-Filipino, am I 'passing' as white?
And as I travel to the Philippines, is it more problematic to minimize my heritage - which might seem to dismiss it - or to highlight it - which might seem like an attempt to claim a culture I was not raised in?
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