I am a diasporic daughter of the Global South and Louisiana, my work is rooted in cultural stewardship, reproductive justice, and collective liberation. The more I learn about both roots and constellations of my Filipino lineage–from indigenous Babaylan, to kapwa, to Lapu Lapu, to surviving silenced genocides– the more I am affirmed in my identities. There are concurrent revolutions of rage, laughter, and grief coursing through my blood. I feel blessed to inherit such spiritual tenacity and levity.

I believe my Filipina identity, or as my Ate Jessica says my Filipina heart, gives me the ability to view complexities with both compassion and clarity.Both kaleidoscope and telescope, light prisms and dark matter.

There was a long time in my life that I felt adrift from my Filipino heritage. My mother became an ancestor when I was very young and I wasn’t raised around other Pinoys. I knew that there were certain things I did and ways of being that embodied my mother’s lineage, but never had the language for it. It wasn’t until I connected–or what really feels like a reconnection– with the AAPI community and Pinoys in New Orleans that I felt affirmed in my intuitions. Because we are such relational people, I think the main way that I will continue to stay connected to my Filipino roots is through staying connected with my Filipino community, growing in our ever expanding and interconnected constellation of care.