Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Alexander Holmes.
Hi Ryan Alexander, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I used to consider myself an outsider with insider blood.
My mother is a Chinese immigrant from Taiwan and my father is an African American from the Deep South. Two cultures that American society seems to perceive as diametrically opposed but both cultures found their symmetry in me.
At a very early age, growing up in LA, it was very clear that there was a dichotomy between how I saw myself, and how society seemed to view me. For the majority of my life, my sense of self was at constant odds with my own blood. My ethnicity(s) often became something I had to “prove”.
It took a global pandemic, the simultaneous rise of the BLM and Stop Asian Hate movements and their subsequent contention with one another for me to have the courage to share my experience to the world, my chosen medium; social media.
The truth is we can love our differences and also uplift one another, these are not mutually exclusive concepts. This belief ultimately guided me in using my voice to spread awareness to debunk these myths through comedic storytelling and poignant writings about my multicultural family’s perseverance. I watched my platform grow to an audience of over 300,000+ followers across all my social media platforms that I used to facilitate my message.
I am not an outsider with insider blood nor am I an insider with outsider blood, I am simply human. As we all are, human.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a child, I would often go to Chinese grocery stores with my mother and on several occasions, bystanders would advise her to “be careful” because people like me are “prone to steal”, not knowing that I was her son, that her blood runs through my veins. And when I would go to the Chinese grocery stores or Chinese shops alone, I was often followed or sometimes even chased out. It was confusing seeing the same people who looked like my family treat me so vastly different. As a child, I could not comprehend this feeling of betrayal so I repressed and ignored it the best I could. I hid from my identity. I even hid in the backseat of my Chinese grandparent’s car when I was picked up from school so no one would think I was Asian. I tried to “fit in” the best I could. I share my message on social media, to encourage other’s to never be discouraged of who they are but instead to be proud and fully embody all the parts of their humanity.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a proud Afro-Asian individual—”100 % Chinese and 100 % African American”—I create comedic and heartfelt content on Instagram and TikTok that explores the harmony—and occasional tension—of growing up between these cultures.
My goal is to go beyond just telling stories of pain or victimization; I want to celebrate unity and educate through humor, making cultural nuances accessible for everyone .
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The quality that’s been most important to my success is unapologetic authenticity.
As someone who’s both Black and Chinese, I spent a lot of my life code-switching, shrinking parts of myself to fit into boxes that weren’t made for me. But once I stopped trying to be what other people expected and started embracing all of who I am – culturally, emotionally, creatively – that’s when everything shifted.
Authenticity isn’t just about “being yourself”, it’s about being willing to be seen even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s complicated. It’s what allows me to tell honest stories, create from a place of truth, and build connection with my community, a community in many ways I never knew existed until I began doing this work. Unapologetic authenticity is the foundation of everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ryanalexanderholmes.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083931300656
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanalexh/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZP3HgHqwvEYC1rI-uv7_Pg
