I paid a recent visit to New York City. Aside from a Weekend Escape and a chance to eat some delicious foods, I was also able to escape for a few days the feeling of being a minority. We’ve all been in a situation where we enter a restaurant or a shop or a classroom to find that we are the only Filipino in the room.

Oftentimes, we are also the only Asian, or even the only non-white person. While this doesn’t necessarily pose a problem, unless the other people present are prejudiced, it can serve as yet another reminder of how out of place we often are in America.

In that great melting pot of NYC, I see a representation of what America could be. There, people of all races and religions converge in a beautiful city and live side by side.

When you walk out onto the street, you’re sure to see a diverse array of faces. There is even a section of Queens fondly known as Little Manila because of its high concentration of Filipino-Americans. The area boasts Filipino eateries, a Red Ribbon Bakeshop, and even a Jollibee. There is no shortage of Filipinos in NYC, and Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike enjoy the delicious delicacies our home country has to offer.

It’s hard to return to metro Detroit in the knowledge that we are still struggling to be an accepted presence. This area is far less diverse, and I am constantly asked where I am from. I am constantly reminded that, instead of just being one face in a sea of millions of diverse faces, I am a Filipino face surrounded by countless white ones.

It is my hope that in the coming years, Filipinos all across the country will no longer have to experience the alienating feeling of always being a minority.

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