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BEING FILIPINO (ASIAN) IN 2023
By Cris Heceta, Ruling Elder, St. Cloud Presbyterian, ​and CFP Anti-Racism Committee Member

May is Asian Heritage Month.  I am Filipino.  I guess by everyone else’s definition, I would be called Filipino-American although I actually consider myself a Filipino who is an American citizen as I try not to get too blended into this country’s melting pot.

A lot has happened just in really recent history. Late last year, I was, how do I say this nicely … I was “confronted” of being supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community for projecting a picture of an elderly black man receiving a “coat of many colors” at heaven’s gate.  My family was in the room when the statement was made that my being a Filipino is probably what makes me naturally more supportive of other “marginalized” groups.  Six months later and it still hurts, but if I think about it, it really doesn’t.  Maybe I am, but that is because I have empathy and compassion for all, which is what Jesus taught me.

Let’s fast forward to the month of April 2023. We have already had 17 mass killings in the first 111 days of 2023, resulting in the loss of 88 lives. With the death of 9 people in Nashville, three Tennessee state representatives took to the TN house floor to protest against gun violence. Is anyone even aware that Justin Jones is half black / half Filipino?
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Filipinos are generally very non-confrontational people, but they hold strong, with compassion for all. Most Filipinos are Christians and we hold true to what Jesus has taught us – to love and care for all, to stand up for all. I hope that as we go into the month of May, that everyone would try to look at the world through the lens of this Filipina, through the lens of Jesus Christ.
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