A People’s History of Asian America

A People’s History of Asian America

History Series / 1 Season

Produced in partnership by the Center for Asian American Media and PBS Digital Studios, A People’s History of Asian America tells the history of Asian Americans through the microaggressions and stereotypes this community faces.

Watch Latest: S2021 E4

7m 39s

Are Asians Next in Line to be White?

S2021 E4 / 7m 39s

By taking a look at the movies Get Out and Do The Right Thing, Adrian and Dolly examine pop culture references about Asian proximity to whiteness. They connect these moments to 3 historic Supreme Court cases where Asian Americans sued for white privilege and their discussion builds upon the theory’s of Cheryl Harris, a law professor who examines whiteness as a form of ownership.

Are You “AAPI” or “Asian American”? It's Complicated.

S2021 E3 / 10m 43s

How many A’s in AAPI? Dolly & Adrian hear from South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander voices to explore the pros and cons of disaggregating Asian American as a statistical category.

Where Did The “Asian Fetish” Come From?

S2021 E2 / 7m 35s

Dolly and Adrian examine the 2021 Atlanta mass tragedy, reconciling it with the existence of the 1875 Page Act that explicitly banned “immoral" Chinese women. Dolly interviews scholars who study race & gender to learn about how orientalism has shaped the West’s understanding of both Asian men and women, and how we can learn from Black feminists about combating these dangerous stereotypes.

Why “The China Virus” Has Always Been A Part Of U.S. History

S2021 E1 / 9m

This term emerged in the 2020 pandemic and became normalized by pundits, politicians, and even the president, exacerbating racism and violent experiences. Hosts Dolly and Adrian make the argument that the xenophobic sentiment that Asian people are invasive, a “China Virus,” has always existed as a concept in America, and has resulted in a cycle of violence that dates all the way back to the 1800s.

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