The Filmmakers
After the Atlanta spa shootings, Asian American filmmakers Gina Kim and Titi Yu set out to tell the story in a new PBS documentary.
A Public Media Initiative from The WNET Group
What does it mean to belong?
During the pandemic, misinformation about the coronavirus contributed to an alarming spike in racial violence against Asian Americans. The pandemic became an excuse for anti-Asian xenophobia, drawing attention to a painful reality. In this country, Asian Americans — even when born and raised here — often are viewed and treated as perpetual foreigners.
Premiering during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, be/longing: Asian Americans Now profiles Asian American trailblazers from across the country in five stories of belonging and exclusion; resilience and hope; and solidarity in the face of hate.
Major funding for be/longing: Asian Americans Now is provided by Charlotte and David Ackert.
Presented in partnership with:
Full Episodes
The Actor and Activist
Asian American actor George Takei discusses what being American means to him and what gives him hope for the future.
The Community Builders
The Twin Cities are home to the largest population of Hmong in America. Community leaders are reaching across ethnic lines to fight hate.
The Problem Solver
Attacks on Asian Americans spiked during the pandemic. Dr. Richard Park discusses his mission to provide medical care to Asian immigrants.
The Storyteller
Vietnamese refugee Viet Thanh Nguyen won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, The Sympathizer. He discusses why telling stories is his mission.
PBS LearningMedia Resources
The Storyteller | be/longing: Asian Americans Now
Việt Thanh Nguyễn came to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee when he was four years old. Today Nguyễn is a college professor and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer. In this Exploring Hate episode, he discusses displacement, the resilience of the…
Resilience and Community | be/longing: Asian Americans Now
Investigate be/longing: Asian Americans Now, a series from Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism and The Serica Initiative profiling Asian Americans from AAPI communities across the country. Actor George Takei, Pulitzer Prize winner Việt Thanh Nguyễn, and others share personal stories of exclusion,…
About Serica
The Serica Initiative convenes a global community of changemakers to advance positive social impact between the U.S., China, and others.