On being racially enough: a duoethnography across minoritized racial identities

For much of our lives, we have struggled with not feeling enough in our racial identities, believing one could identify as an Asian or Black person in the “right” way. This quest toward racial authenticity has resulted in feelings of shame and failure, as we strived to reach a marker that was unachievable. In this duoethnography, we explore the meaning we have made of racial authenticity, as we also worked through power differentials coming to newfound understanding of ourselves as racialized beings. Specifically, we wrestle with four larger ideas: family, whiteness, the fleeting nature of feeling racially enough, and agency. We close with implications for practice for those wishing to push back against racial authenticity and build solidarity across minoritized racial identities.