Colorism: A practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. This practice is a product of racism in the United States, in that it upholds the white standards of beauty and benefits white people in the institutions of oppression (National Conference for Community and Justice, 2019)

Filipinx have distinct memories of being told that if they were to be in the sun for too long, their skin will darken and therefore be undesirable.

The narratives of darker skinned Asians within the Asian American and Pacific islander (AAPI) diaspora are silenced because of the systemic issues brought by colorism. Colorism and the discrimination against darker skin in the Asian community is especially insidious in the Philippines and within the Filipinx diaspora because of its history of colonization. The 12 Filipinx artists featured in Walking in the Sun explore the effects of colorism and its manifestation as colonial mentality within themselves as well as members of their community.