Center for Asian American Media

Japanese American Internment

This site was created to bring us face-to-face with those who experienced the World War II internment of Japanese Americans — a critical part of 20th century American history still largely unknown. Here, more than two dozen short video clips from some of the best films available on the subject are featured along with brief historical text and images to illuminate the people, places, voices and circumstances that are part of this history.The site covers World War II, the causes of internment, the mass roundup and relocation, and the FBI raids on Japanese Americans. It continues with the camps experience, service in the military, and post-war resettlement and long-term impact. Teacher resources include discussion questions, classroom activities and links to other sites.

Ancestors in the Americas

The ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS companion Web site helps to round out the stories and ideas presented in this groundbreaking series. Visit the Asian American Timeline to learn about specific moments and events that shaped Asian American history. Join an online discussion to talk about the series or related topics regarding Asian Americans. Use the Resource section to further explore the Asian American experience. For educators, the Web site includes classroom guides with discussion questions related to ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS.

Daughters of Everest

“Daughters of Everest” brings a unique flavor to a familiar story: the attempt to climb Mount Everest. In 2000, the first-ever expedition of Sherpa women to climb Everest was organized. This captivating documentary gives a close-up account of the expedition. Although the Sherpa people are legendary for their unmatched skill in mountaineering, Sherpa women are discouraged from climbing Everest, relegated instead into support roles in the climbing industry of Nepal. Told from a woman’s perspective rarely seen on Everest or off, this film is both a dramatic, inspiring Everest story and an absorbing portrait of the Sherpa community.

First Person Plural

In 1966, Deann Borshay Liem was adopted by an American family and was sent from Korea to her new home. Growing up in California, the memory of her birth family was nearly obliterated until recurring dreams lead Borshay Liem to discover the truth: her Korean mother was very much alive. Bravely uniting her biological and adoptive families, Borshay Liem’s heartfelt journey makes First Person Plural a poignant essay on family, loss, and the reconciling of two identities.

Searching for Asian America

Through intimate profiles of individuals and communities from across the country, this 90-minute program serves up a genuine taste of what it’s like to be Asian American in today’s ever-changing United States.

From his inauspicious beginnings as the son of Chinese immigrants to becoming the leader of his home state, Washington, Governor Gary Locke is living the American Dream, but his is a complicated tale that attests to both the benefits and burdens of being “the first.”

Martin Bautista and Jeffrey Lim are Filipino immigrant doctors living in the predominantly Caucasian, hog-farming American heartland of Guymon, Oklahoma. As their story unfolds, it’s apparent that being Asian American in a rural town is both more challenging and more rewarding than either could have expected.

Lela Lee is a successful actress and creator of the underground comic and web site “Angry Little Girls.” Just as the irreverent cartoon portrays Kim, an Asian American girl with attitude, this episode introduces Lee, an Asian American woman with attitude, as well as big plans and hopeful dreams.

Separate Lives, Broken Dreams

SEPARATE LIVES, BROKEN DREAMS explores the deep and broad impact that Chinese Exclusion had on individual lives, families, and entire communities in America and China. As fears regarding America’s economy and security ebb and flow through our national consciousness, public sentiment and politicians focus once again on new and existing immigrants. One hundred twenty years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, America continues to grapple with both its image and the stark reality of all that is encompassed by its descriptor, “the land of immigrants.”

Kayo Hatta article on ‘Picture Bride’

PICTURE BRIDE portrays the immigrant men and women of Hawai’i’s early plantations who surmounted the initial stumbling blocks of racism and fear to lay the foundation for one of the world’s most successful multi-ethnic societies. The oral history of these surviving plantation pioneers is both colorful and telling. In addition, their experience sheds light on some of the same challenges faced by immigrants today and by the communities they have come to call home.

The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet

THE SHADOW CIRCUS: THE CIA IN TIBET reveals a little-known aspect of Tibet’s recent history: the country’s armed struggle against the invading forces of Communist China. Contrary to the generally held preconception of a deeply religious and peace-loving people, the Tibetans fought a long and bloody - though ultimately, unsuccessful - guerrilla campaign. They were aided in their efforts by an unlikely ally, the CIA.

The project, code-named ST Circus, was one of the longest-running covert operations in support of the American government’s primary objective of destabilizing Communist China’s regime. The CIA’s involvement produced Tibetan resistance fighters trained in guerrilla warfare. These soldiers were instrumental in assisting the Dalai Lama flee to India.

You can navigate THE SHADOW CIRCUS: THE CIA IN TIBET web site for program information, historical narratives, additional resources, as well as a comprehensive time line that documents this tumultous era in Tibetan history.