31 Stories for 31 Days of AAPI Heritage Month

May 1, 2021

By Beatrice Alvarez

Every day in May we are celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with stories that explore aspects of our shared American history. Every day, we will amplify AAPI voices and offer a story to stream from across PBS stations, long-running series, and filmmakers. The best part is that if we do something every day for a month, perhaps it can become a habit, a way to be, that we continue long after the 31 days are over.

1.Breaking Through | Asian Americans

Pulizer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen reveals personal stories and poignant analysis of American society and cultures in the series Asian Americans. Hear him describe the beginnings of the Asian American movement in this episode. He is just one of many notable voices featured in this series.

2. Queen Lili'uokalani: The First and Last Queen of Hawai'i | Unladylike 2020

3. Anik Khan: Street Level | American Masters

4. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir | American Masters

5. Delano Manongs | Viewfinder KVIE

Learn about Larry Itliong, a Filipino farm worker who dedicated his life to advocating for agricultural workers. He helped build the coalition with Mexican and Mexican-American farm workers to form the United Farm Workers. Station KVIE documents the history of Filipino Americans in California who fought for justice and took on the entrenched agricultural industry.

6. Down a Dark Stairwell | Independent Lens

Documentary filmmaker Ursula Liang looks at how two communities see racial injustices play out in the aftermath of a tragedy. This timely film from Independent Lens is available to stream until May 12.

7. A People's History of Asian America | Digital Studios | Premieres May 6

Digital Studios teamed up with Dolly Li and Adrian De Leon to bring you a series about Asian American history. Stay tuned for the first episode premiering on May 6!

8. Generation Rising | Asian Americans  

In so many of the social and political movements of American history, AAPI activists have taken their rightful place in conversations of justice and equality. In the halls of Congress, Hawaiian Congresswoman Patsy Mink not only joined the conversations, but moved them forward.

9. LGBTQ+ Choreographer is Changing Bollywood Dance | If Cities Could Dance

10. American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs | POV

Meet Grace Lee Boggs and follow her life's work as a philosopher and activist. POV is bringing back this excellent profile and you can stream it on the PBS Video App beginning May 3.

11. Model Minority | What I Hear When You Say

Stereotypes and media portrayals can be damaging when they only portray one aspect of a person's humanity. Learn why the narrative of the Asian Americans as a "model minority" must be challenged, even though it seems complimentary on its surface, in this episode of What I Hear When You Say.

Along the same lines, comedian and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu discusses problematic media representation in the form of demeaning AAPI characters on television in this interview with PBS Newshour. In it he explains: "You can’t help but be shaped by media. And you can’t help but be shaped, especially as a young person, by how others see you." Kondabolu also appears in the series: Asian Americans, which is streaming on the PBS Video App this month.

12. Curtain Up! | America ReFramed | Premieres May 11

13. Mr. Tornado | American Experience

Tetsuya Theodore Fujita was a scientific researcher long before he entered academia. From the days of his youth in Japan, he documented everything he saw with meticulous detail. It is not surprising that he went on to advance the field of meteorology. Later known as Mr. Tornado, his work revolutionized the study of severe weather and aircraft pilot training.

14. Maia Cruz Palileo: Becoming the Moon | American Masters

From American Masters: In the Making series: meet artist Maia Cruz Palileo. Her artwork speaks to topics of familial bonds, generational memories, identity, and migration: all the things that are deeply personal and, at the same time, universal.

15. Chai Pani | My Home, NC

Food that tells a story of identity and belonging is what Asheville, NC-based Chef Meherwan Irani is proud to share. As Irani reflects on his life move from California to North Carolina, this self-taught chef, popular Brown in the South supper series founder, and four-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef, Southeast shares what inspires him. Stream this episode of My Home, NC from PBS NC to hear Irani’s reflections on culture, cuisine, and community.

16. Out of State | POV | Begins streaming May 3

This film from Ciara Lacy about reconnecting with cultural roots far from home is returning to PBS for the month of May. Stream it on the PBS Video App.

Learn more about Lacy's journey from the Kamehameha Schools to Yale University to documentary filmmaker from the PBS Hawai'i series Long Story Shorty with Leslie Wilcox.

17. Mira Jacob | Book View Now

Acclaimed novelist Mira Jacob found herself exploring topics of race and culture with her young son. Those conversations turned into a book that uses visual content to reckon with what we’ve been taught versus what we must continue to learn about race and ethnicity. Hear more about her book and the experiences that inform her writing in an interview from Book View Now.

18. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: This is the Way We Rise

Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, a Kanaka Maoli wahine poet, activist and academic, is dedicated to seeking justice for Hawaii’s native population. Osorio uses her poetry to raise awareness about Hawaiian history and the colonization and annexation that caused so much loss. Filmmaker Ciara Lacy profiled Osorio in the American Masters series In The Making.

19. Relish | Twin Cities PBS

20. The Odds: Is Hollywood Finally Diverse? | We Gon' Be Alright

21. Eating Up Easter | Independent Lens

22. Chinese Exclusion Act | American Experience

In 1892 Chinese American activist Jee Gam wrote an impassioned critique of the Geary Act, legislation that proposed Chinese Americans carry a registration card, proving their right to be in the United States.  Gam made powerful case against discrimination while the racist Chinese Exclusion Act was the law of the land. His and many more experiences are included in the The Chinese Exclusion Act from American Experience. 

23. Tokyo Hula | Pacific Heartbeat | Premieres May 23

This is the third film in Marie Lisette Flanary's exploration of Hula and this one takes Hawaiian culture to Japan. Catch this film when it premieres May 23 on the series Pacific Heartbeat.

24. Standing Above the Clouds | PBS Short Film Festival

Filmmaker Jalena Keene-Lee tells a story from the intersection cultural preservation and environmental activism. This film was featured in the 2020 PBS Short Film Festival.

25. Far East Deep South | America ReFramed | Premieres May 4

26. The Donut King | Independent Lens | Premieres May 25

Ted Ngoy arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Cambodia. He went on to build a successful business that only provided quality goods (donuts) but also benefitted his community by creating employment opportunities.

27. The First American-Born Chinese Woman Doctor | Unladylike 2020

28. The Ito Sisters | Viewfinder KVIE

29. American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i | Pacific Heartbeat | Begins streaming May 23

30. Family Ingredients

31. Anna May Wong: The First Asian American Movie Star