Series
Asian Americans
DocumentaryWar & Politics
This five-part series traces the story of Asian Americans, spanning 150 years of immigration, racial politics, international relations, and cultural innovation. It is a timely, clear-eyed look at the vital role that Asian Americans have played in defining who we are as a nation. Their stories are a celebration of the grit and resilience of a people that reflects the experience of all Americans.
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Seasons & episodes
1Breaking Ground11 May 2020 · 60mIn an era of exclusion and U.S. empire, new immigrants arrive from China, India, Japan, the Philippines and beyond. Barred by anti-Asian laws they become America’s first “undocumented immigrants,” yet they build railroads, dazzle on the silver screen, and take their fight for equality to the U.S. Supreme Court.- 2A Question of Loyalty11 May 2020 · 60mAn American-born generation straddles their country of birth and their parents’ homelands in Japan and Korea. Those loyalties are tested during World War II, when families are imprisoned in detention camps, and brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the battle lines.
- 3Good Americans12 May 2020 · 60mDuring the Cold War years, Asian Americans are simultaneously heralded as a Model Minority, and targeted as the perpetual foreigner. It is also a time of bold ambition, as Asian Americans aspire for the first time to national political office and a coming culture-quake simmers beneath the surface.
- 4Generation Rising12 May 2020 · 60mDuring a time of war and social tumult, a young generation fights for equality in the fields, on campuses and in the culture, and claim a new identity: Asian Americans. The war’s aftermath brings new immigrants and refugees who expand the population and the definition of Asian America.
5Breaking Through13 May 2020 · 60mAt the turn of the new millennium, the national conversation turns to immigration, race, and economic disparity. As the U.S becomes more diverse, yet more divided, a new generation of Asian Americans tackle the question, how do we as a nation move forward together?
Details
- First aired
- 11 May 2020
- Last aired
- 13 May 2020
- Status
- Ended
- Language
- English
- Network
- PBS
- Episodes
- 5
- Votes
- 1 on TMDB
Where to watch (US)
Cast
Daniel Dae KimNarrator (voice)
Tamlyn TomitaNarrator (voice)
Sandra OhSelf
Greg WatanabeSelf
Sessue HayakawaSelf
Anna May WongSelf (archive footage)
