The Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience

Explore our new collection featuring a selection of films documenting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Experience — along with articles, digital shorts and original features exploring America’s continued struggle with democracy, inclusion and justice for Asian Americans, and celebrating the contributions of AAPI Americans to the American story.

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Month

Clip
Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander History

Asian American and Pacific Islander History is American history

Watch

Film
Mr. Tornado

Mr. Tornado is the remarkable story of the man whose groundbreaking work in research and applied science saved thousands of lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena.
Film
Plague at the Golden Gate

Follow the gripping story of the race against time to save San Francisco and the nation from an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900.
Plague at the Golden Gate | Digital Short
The Chinese Six Companies

On May 28, 1900, San Francisco policemen formed a perimeter around Chinatown, and set about building an eight-foot high wall around the district using cement blocks and barbed wire.

Films

A Special Presentation of American Experience
The Chinese Exclusion Act

The 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already here ever to become U.S. citizens.
Film
Daughter from Danang

Daughter From Danang cuts between mother and daughter as the two recall the pain of their separation, and retraces Hiep's journey from Vietnam to Pulaski, Tennessee, where she is adopted by a single woman and renamed Heidi.
Film
The Island Murder

In 1931, Honolulu's tropical tranquility was shattered when a young Navy wife made an allegation of rape against five nonwhite islanders.

Explore

The Chinese Exclusion Act | Image Gallery
Impact on Chinese Immigrants

The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act remained in force for more than 60 years.
The Chinese Exclusion Act | Clip
The Roots of Anti-Asian Hate in America

Historian Erica Lee, actor Hoon Lee, and filmmaker Li-Shin Yu speak with executive director of the Center for Asian American Media Stephen Gong about America’s history of discrimination against Asian Americans, and ways that the AAPI community, their allies, and elected officials can work to put an end to racial violence and discrimination.
Last Days in Vietnam | Audio
The First Days Story Project

American Experience partnered with StoryCorps to collect, preserve, and celebrate the stories of Vietnamese American refugees and Vietnam veterans.

Articles

Citizen Hearst | Image Gallery
How a Public Media Campaign Led to Japanese Incarceration during WWII

Images by photographers Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams document this shameful moment in America’s history.
Daughter from Danang | Article
Living in Two Cultures

Andrew Lam, a California-based journalist, short story writer, and National Public Radio commentator shares his thoughts on Vietnam and America.
McCarthy | Article
Numbed with Fear: Chinese Americans and McCarthyism

When China entered the Korean War, Chinese Americans scrambled to demonstrate their loyalty to the United States.