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ASIAN AMERICANS
Stream now or tune in Wednesdays, Dec. 2 - 30, 2020 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2
Monday, November 30, 2020

Credit: Courtesy of Corky Lee
Above: Sikh patriot. Explore the impact of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, on the country’s past, present and future, told through individual lives and personal histories.
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—The most ambitious television chronicle of the Asian American story in the United States—
A new five-part documentary series explores the impact of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, on the country’s past, present and future, told through individual lives and personal histories.
Led by a team of Asian American filmmakers, including Academy Award®-nominated series producer Renee Tajima-Peña ("Who Killed Vincent Chin?," "No Más Bebés"), ASIAN AMERICANS examines the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity, from the first wave of Asian immigrants in the 1850s and identity politics during the social and cultural turmoil of the twentieth century to modern refugee crises in a globally connected world.
“As America’s home for documentaries, PBS is committed to telling stories that illuminate and celebrate the rich diversity of our country,” said Paula Kerger, PBS President and CEO. “We are proud to share this important series with our audiences, and to deepen understanding about the extraordinary impact of Asian Americans on our national identity.”
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ASIAN AMERICANS
Explore the impact of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, on the country’s past, present and future, told through individual lives and personal histories.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1 “Breaking Ground” repeats Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - See how new immigrants from China, India, Japan, the Philippines and beyond, despite anti-Asian laws, still manage to build railroads, dazzle on the silver screen and take their fight for equality to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Episode 2: “A Question of Loyalty” repeats Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Meet an American-born generation that straddles the U.S. and their parents’ homelands in Asia. Loyalties are tested during World War II, when families are imprisoned in detention camps and brothers find themselves on opposite sides of battle lines.
Episode 3: “Good Americans” repeats Wednesday, Dec. at 16 p.m. on KPBS TV - Learn how Asian Americans are simultaneously heralded as a model minority and targeted as the perpetual foreigner during the Cold War. It is also a time of bold ambition, as Asian Americans aspire to national political office.
Episode 4: “Generation Rising” repeats Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Follow a young generation’s fight for equality in the fields, on campuses and in the culture, claiming a new identity: Asian Americans. New immigrants and war refugees expand the population and definition of Asian America.
Episode 5: “Breaking Through” repeats Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV - Revisit the turn of the millennium, when Asian Americans are empowered by growing numbers and rising influence but face a reckoning of what it means to be an American in an increasingly polarized society.
WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:
This series is currently available to stream on demand with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
With the PBS Video App, you can stream your favorite and local station shows. Download it for free on your favorite device. The app allows you to catch up on recent episodes and discover award-winning shows.
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CREDITS:
A production of WETA Washington, DC and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) for PBS, in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS), Flash Cuts and Tajima-Peña Productions. The series executive producers are Jeff Bieber and Dalton Delan for WETA; Stephen Gong and Donald Young for CAAM; Sally Jo Fifer for ITVS; and Jean Tsien. The series producer is Renee Tajima-Peña. The producer for Flash Cuts is Eurie Chung. The episode producers are S. Leo Chiang, Geeta Gandbhir and Grace Lee. The consulting producer is Mark Jonathan Harris.
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