Library Guides: Filmographies Guide: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, May 2020

Introduction

On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the United States. Twenty-six years and 3 days later, on May 10, 1869, the final spike was driven into the Transcontinental Railroad, a line build largely by Chinese immigrants. By this very coincidence of two history-making events occurring in the same month, May became the focal point for Congressional proposals to create a national week marking Asian Pacific American heritage.

Begun more than a century after both of these events, the drive for national recognition got off to a rocky start. Neither of the first two resolutions to create a national week of recognition, the 1977 House Joint Resolution 540 drafted by representative Frank Horton (NY) nor the Senate Joint Resolution 72 drafted by Daniel Inouye (HI), passed. Finally, in October 1978, a revised bill that again originated in representative Horton's office was passed, authorizing the president "to issue a proclamation designating the 7-day period beginning on May 4, 1979, as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week (Public Law 95-419)." This bill was re-issued annually until 1990, when Public Law 101-283 expanded the commemoration for the full month of May. In 1992, Congress ensured this commemoration would endure time by making this an annual commemorative event (Public Law 102-450).

This short video sets the spoken word artistry of Asian American Kelly Zen Yie Tsai to music and film. As May is also a time of graduation and new beginnings, this particular poem, "To Find Your Place in the World," seems especially fitting.

The Asian Pacific American Experience

Between Two Worlds: The Hmong Shaman in America by Dir. by Taggert Seigal
This classic film documents the Hmong refugees who have been transplanted from their agrarian mountain villages in northern Laos to cities in the U.S. Often living in high-rise tenements, they bring their ancient shamanic rituals and ceremonies to urban America. In such unlikely settings, trance-like healing and animal offerings are practiced as they were back home.
Asian/Asian American Perspectives on Modern Dance by Dir. by Douglas Rosenberg
Choreographers Kumiko Kimoto, Sun Ock Lee, Mel Wong and moderator Peggy Choy discuss how Asian and Asian-American issues and identity shape their work. The panel discussion is intercut with excerpts of work performed by each choreographer. The participants each offer a unique perspective on the challenges facing Asian/ Asian-American choreographers in addressing stereotypes and cultural expectations.
Agent Yellow by Dir. by Christine Choy
Agent Yellow is a powerful indictment of the U.S. government’s systematic prejudice against Chinese-American scientists. The film focuses on the mistreatment of Chinese scientists who contributed significantly to American military research, specifically describing the tragic cases of Dr. Wen Ho Lee and Dr. Tsien Hsue-Shen.
The First Battle: The Battle for Equality in Wartime Hawaii by Dir. by Tom Coffman
A mix of archival footage and historical recreations tells the story of the Japanese Hawaiians' efforts to maintain equal rights and fair treatment during World War II. Fearing that Japan's involvement in the war would stoke racial hatred, Americans of Japanese descent living in Hawaii effectively anticipated and countered the type of harsh treatment that forced Japanese-Americans on the U.S. mainland into internment camps.
Seadrift by Dir. by Tim Tsai
In 1979, a Vietnamese refugee shoots and kills a white crab fisherman at the public town docks in Seadrift, TX. What began as a dispute over fishing territory erupts into violence and ignites a maelstrom of boat burnings, KKK intimidation, and other hostilities against refugees along the Gulf Coast. Taking place after the Fall of Saigon, when hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese nationals desperately fled the communist takeover of their home country, Seadrift examines the events leading up to the shooting and its dramatic aftermath, revealing the unexpected consequences that continue to reverberate today.