There is a lot of quality media out there accurately portraying the Asian-American and Pacific Islander experience to a great extent. Here are a few that I highly recommend you go and watch right now as it is important as ever that you are cultured and informed about the distinct, individual, and important experiences of these groups. By the way, all of these are free to watch - free! You have no excuse.
Asian Americans (2020)
Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Grace Lee, and S. Leo Chiang.
This documentary, released during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month last year, is a five-part PBS documentary that is free to stream on the PBS website. The website also has amazing resources and has shorter clips from the documentary that highlight specific stories and points of history that you probably did not learn from your high school history class. Replace those Netflix episodes this week with this ambitious documentary displaying the role Asian Americans have played in shaping U.S. history. They have done more than you think.
We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate (2021)
Released just last week, YouTube’s Try Guys star, Eugene Lee Yang, discussed the recent surge and spotlighting of Anti-Asian hate. Through collaboration with activists and the exploration of American history pertaining to Asian America, the documentary delves deeper into significant topics such as the model minority myth, the generational divide, Black and Asian communities, and many more. The video has necessary tips embedded into the video on how to help the cause and spread awareness. The documentary also has an on-going fundraiser you can see while you watch. I encourage you to donate what you can to the cause and to the families that have suffered tragic loss because of plain ignorance and hate. This is a one-hour conversation about the complex, often untold story of the Asian American community. I hope you will hear it out.
#AsianAmCovidStories (2021)
There is no doubt that more hate for Asian-Americans spread throughout the U.S when COVID-19 appeared. This documentary series on Youtube done by the Asian American Documentary Network records perspectives of Asian Americans during the pandemic that are so invisible in today’s media. This playlist on Youtube is 16 short videos that total up to 30 minutes–now you definitely have time for that. Go immerse yourself today in the community that is the Asian diaspora and how they have coped with the pandemic.
Please set aside time this week to click on the links and learn the stories of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. It is such a gift to have writers and documentarians in the world who want to record the heavily underexpressed history and experience of my community–of their struggles, their victories, and their extraordinary contribution to America.
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