1 00:00:04,133 --> 00:00:05,473 ♪ 2 00:00:08,366 --> 00:00:10,896 CANDY: I grew up with the American dream. 3 00:00:10,933 --> 00:00:13,533 ERIKA: But all Asian immigrantswere denied the right of 4 00:00:13,566 --> 00:00:16,566 naturalized citizenship and withthe Exclusion Act, 5 00:00:17,233 --> 00:00:20,173 the Chinese became the first undocumented immigrants. 6 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,000 CANDY: The American Dream is a lovely dream to have and so 7 00:00:24,033 --> 00:00:28,473 people continue to aspire; enduring whatever it is that 8 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:30,930 they've got to do as immigrants. 9 00:00:32,066 --> 00:00:36,096 HELEN: Japanese Americans foughton the side the United States, 10 00:00:36,133 --> 00:00:39,603 while the rest of their family was incarcerated. 11 00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:43,600 ERIKA: Legal challenges were so important because they did not 12 00:00:43,633 --> 00:00:45,473 have political power. 13 00:00:47,033 --> 00:00:50,503 And as much as tragedy is a part of our heritage here, 14 00:00:50,533 --> 00:00:52,273 so is possibility. 15 00:00:54,266 --> 00:00:56,166 MAN: Asian voices are coming out. 16 00:00:56,900 --> 00:00:58,900 ALEX: You've got these young people fighting to 17 00:00:58,933 --> 00:01:00,673 make change happen. 18 00:01:00,966 --> 00:01:02,966 ALISA: They had to assert their rights. 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,330 NOBUKO: It was like a giantgenie coming out of the bottle. 20 00:01:06,366 --> 00:01:07,966 You couldn't put us back in. 21 00:01:08,866 --> 00:01:12,126 THAHN: These were stories aboutwhat it meant to be human. 22 00:01:12,833 --> 00:01:15,303 What it meant to be resilient. 23 00:01:15,333 --> 00:01:17,473 VIET: To transform the system into something more just 24 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:19,700 for everyone, that's the hope from which the Asian American 25 00:01:19,733 --> 00:01:21,703 movement was born. 26 00:01:22,500 --> 00:01:25,970 ♪ 27 00:01:31,033 --> 00:01:33,373 NARRATOR: They come from all corners of Asia, 28 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,630 from tiny villages and teeming cities. 29 00:01:36,966 --> 00:01:39,896 The first immigrants crossthe seas from China and Japan, 30 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,030 from Korea, India and the Philippines. 31 00:01:45,566 --> 00:01:49,226 Some flee poverty, war and oppression, 32 00:01:49,266 --> 00:01:52,166 others seek opportunity or adventure. 33 00:01:52,733 --> 00:01:56,573 They all dream of new possibilities in America. 34 00:01:58,266 --> 00:02:00,496 Every dreamer has a story. 35 00:02:00,533 --> 00:02:04,403 One is 12 year old orphan, Antero Cabrera, 36 00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:07,533 who sets off from thePhilippines in 1904 to see the 37 00:02:07,566 --> 00:02:10,426 land of riches he's always heard about. 38 00:02:17,566 --> 00:02:20,366 He arrives at the St. Louis World's fair, 39 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,230 and what a fantastic sight it is. 40 00:02:24,166 --> 00:02:26,266 Exhibits from over 50 countries dazzle 41 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:28,570 20 million visitors. 42 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,130 CANDY: St. Louis did itself proud with the fair. 43 00:02:35,166 --> 00:02:37,366 It was a real marvel to behold. 44 00:02:38,566 --> 00:02:40,826 All the technology that was on display. 45 00:02:42,066 --> 00:02:45,326 Pseudo multicultural exhibitions were popular 46 00:02:45,366 --> 00:02:47,366 at the time. 47 00:02:48,133 --> 00:02:50,933 The fair was huge. 48 00:02:51,333 --> 00:02:53,803 The United States was telling the world that 49 00:02:53,833 --> 00:02:55,073 they had arrived. 50 00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:57,400 They were an imperial power and their biggest 51 00:02:57,433 --> 00:02:59,733 exhibit was the Philippines. 52 00:02:59,766 --> 00:03:02,766 Their newly acquired colony. 53 00:03:06,366 --> 00:03:09,066 NARRATOR: It is the age of American imperialism: 54 00:03:09,833 --> 00:03:12,603 the U.S. defeats Spain in 1898, 55 00:03:12,633 --> 00:03:15,303 and annexes colonies one by one. 56 00:03:17,733 --> 00:03:20,833 Its biggest conquest is in Asia. 57 00:03:20,866 --> 00:03:24,166 After a long and bloody conflictwith Filipino nationalists, 58 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,470 the U.S. takes the Philippines. 59 00:03:31,366 --> 00:03:35,426 NAYAN: Thousands of Americans go there as school teachers, 60 00:03:36,133 --> 00:03:37,333 as military people, 61 00:03:37,366 --> 00:03:39,726 as anthropologists to study all 62 00:03:39,766 --> 00:03:41,796 the different people in all the different islands 63 00:03:41,833 --> 00:03:44,003 of the Philippines. 64 00:03:44,233 --> 00:03:47,133 As McKinley, the president at the time says, you know, 65 00:03:47,166 --> 00:03:49,926 "It's to save the little brown brothers." 66 00:03:51,733 --> 00:03:53,903 NARRATOR: In the Philippines, Antero is educated by 67 00:03:53,933 --> 00:03:57,133 missionaries who believe theirdivine mandate is to civilize 68 00:03:57,166 --> 00:03:59,566 the native population. 69 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:02,600 Antero is a star pupil who works as an interpreter and 70 00:04:02,633 --> 00:04:05,733 houseboy for anthropologist Albert Jenks. 71 00:04:09,166 --> 00:04:11,896 CANDY: Jenks was tasked with bringing a shopping list of 72 00:04:11,933 --> 00:04:14,903 Filipinos to the fair. 73 00:04:15,633 --> 00:04:18,333 The Visayans were the most civilized and then there were 74 00:04:18,366 --> 00:04:20,366 kind of grades going down. 75 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,270 Then at the bottom or near the bottom were the Igorots. 76 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,370 Albert Jenks really believed that they were savages. 77 00:04:32,833 --> 00:04:36,573 MIA: I belong to the Bontoc tribe. 78 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,970 We call ourselves the Igorots. 79 00:04:39,566 --> 00:04:41,626 My grandfather Antero, 80 00:04:41,666 --> 00:04:44,666 he was a very intelligent little boy. 81 00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:48,470 Jenks trusted him and asked my grandfather to come 82 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:50,430 with him to the United States. 83 00:04:51,966 --> 00:04:54,126 Here was a, quote unquote, "promised land". 84 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:02,630 NARRATOR: But the promised land is not 85 00:05:02,666 --> 00:05:04,626 what Antero expected. 86 00:05:04,666 --> 00:05:07,526 His home at the fair is a replica of an Igorot village, 87 00:05:07,833 --> 00:05:10,703 inside a living anthropological exhibit. 88 00:05:16,966 --> 00:05:19,366 CANDY: Anthropology at the time had an evolutionary 89 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,470 aspect of it where they believed that there were races 90 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:25,330 that were inherently barbaric and races that 91 00:05:25,733 --> 00:05:28,103 were inherently enlightened, 92 00:05:28,333 --> 00:05:31,703 and they were arrayed according to skin colors. 93 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,470 It was kind of for Americans to realize how superior they 94 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:39,100 were to the rest of the world. 95 00:05:45,866 --> 00:05:48,366 MIA: A day for my grandfather in the fair would 96 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,470 be waking up, of course, to the requirements of 97 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:53,230 the fair managers. 98 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:56,930 They were asked to perform dances. 99 00:05:56,966 --> 00:06:00,726 They were told to do some dog eating. 100 00:06:04,866 --> 00:06:07,696 These are savages and this is how they look. 101 00:06:08,166 --> 00:06:10,326 This is how they live. 102 00:06:11,233 --> 00:06:14,033 CANDY: The Americans, they just saw them as objects of 103 00:06:14,066 --> 00:06:16,696 display in those human zoos. 104 00:06:20,833 --> 00:06:23,503 MIA: The Igorots were not blind. 105 00:06:23,533 --> 00:06:26,773 My grandfather actually had a motive himself, 106 00:06:27,500 --> 00:06:29,400 to earn money so that he could bring it back and 107 00:06:29,433 --> 00:06:32,133 then make his life better. 108 00:06:37,333 --> 00:06:38,603 NAYAN: So Antero, 109 00:06:38,633 --> 00:06:41,703 he's already gotten a taste of what the possibilities are. 110 00:06:43,066 --> 00:06:46,666 Antero continues after the world's fair. 111 00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:49,500 He can make a living, have his expenses paid, 112 00:06:49,966 --> 00:06:50,966 see the world, 113 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,470 and then develop economic and social status. 114 00:06:56,300 --> 00:06:59,430 He even gets married and he has a daughter that's actually 115 00:06:59,466 --> 00:07:01,866 born in the United States. 116 00:07:03,866 --> 00:07:05,326 CANDY: When you think about Antero, 117 00:07:05,366 --> 00:07:08,626 he came home and he told stories of his amazing 118 00:07:08,666 --> 00:07:12,396 adventures in America and maybe the people that he told 119 00:07:12,433 --> 00:07:15,973 those stories to thought, "Oh, we want to go too. 120 00:07:16,766 --> 00:07:19,496 We want to experience that." 121 00:07:21,666 --> 00:07:23,766 I grew up with the American dream. 122 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,470 My mother tells stories about square dancing and learning 123 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:32,170 how to do the boogie and the reality is the people who have 124 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,430 made it to America and are now enduring whatever 125 00:07:36,466 --> 00:07:39,066 it is that they've got to do as immigrants. 126 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,400 Maintain the fiction with the people at home. 127 00:07:45,866 --> 00:07:48,166 The American dream is a lovely dream to have and 128 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,030 so people continue to aspire to the American dream. 129 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,830 NARRATOR: Every dreamer has a story. 130 00:07:56,866 --> 00:07:59,266 Antero goes on to lead a prosperous life, 131 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:01,900 moving back and forth between the US and the Philippines. 132 00:08:03,466 --> 00:08:07,226 And his descendants will plant roots in America. 133 00:08:11,466 --> 00:08:13,226 These Asian immigrants arrive during a 134 00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:15,466 time of great upheaval, 135 00:08:15,500 --> 00:08:18,370 of reinvention and expansion. 136 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,770 Asians will play a crucial role as a new 137 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:25,830 America is being forged. 138 00:08:41,666 --> 00:08:47,966 ♪ 139 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:02,130 ♪ 140 00:09:02,166 --> 00:09:06,726 CONNIE: 2019, May 10th, we have this incredible celebration of 141 00:09:02,166 --> 00:09:06,726 CONNIE: 2019, May 10th, we have this incredible celebration of 142 00:09:06,766 --> 00:09:09,826 the 150th anniversary of the completion of the 143 00:09:09,866 --> 00:09:11,726 transcontinental railroad. 144 00:09:13,666 --> 00:09:16,296 NARRATOR: Connie Young Yu and descendants of Chinese 145 00:09:16,333 --> 00:09:18,673 railroad workers are here to honor the men who laid 146 00:09:18,700 --> 00:09:23,000 these tracks 150 years ago, and share stories of their 147 00:09:23,033 --> 00:09:24,833 astonishing exploits. 148 00:09:25,866 --> 00:09:28,266 This is a milestone in Asian American history 149 00:09:28,766 --> 00:09:33,766 ♪ CONNIE: And the home of the brave. ♪♪ 150 00:10:03,466 --> 00:10:09,666 ♪ 151 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,570 My great grandfather, 152 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,830 Lee Wong Sang came at the age of 19. 153 00:10:14,266 --> 00:10:20,296 He came to the United States in 1866 and first job 154 00:10:20,733 --> 00:10:22,773 was on the railroad. 155 00:10:23,133 --> 00:10:25,173 NARRATOR: The Chinese are first lured to America by 156 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,600 tales of riches in California. 157 00:10:28,966 --> 00:10:32,066 They join the great Gold Rush of the 1850s. 158 00:10:34,766 --> 00:10:36,496 But many arrive too late 159 00:10:36,533 --> 00:10:40,303 and instead they find jobs on the railroad. 160 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,930 They become known as a cheap source of labor, 161 00:10:42,966 --> 00:10:45,696 willing to take on back-breaking work. 162 00:10:49,733 --> 00:10:52,903 And so more Chinese are recruited, 163 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:56,000 and they cross the ocean in overcrowded ships. 164 00:10:58,633 --> 00:11:00,403 GORDON: The ships would come in and to the 165 00:11:00,433 --> 00:11:02,703 astonishment of observers, they would begin to see these 166 00:11:02,733 --> 00:11:05,503 Chinese come up above deck. 167 00:11:05,966 --> 00:11:08,966 Most of the ships were populated by young men, 168 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,270 prime of life coming over here to work, 169 00:11:11,666 --> 00:11:14,496 take their chances and see what life would bring them, 170 00:11:14,833 --> 00:11:17,773 and they of course would have their traditional queue, 171 00:11:18,033 --> 00:11:19,303 their so called pigtail, 172 00:11:19,333 --> 00:11:22,533 which was required of them by Manchu emperors. 173 00:11:23,666 --> 00:11:26,296 And this was really a novel sight. 174 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,400 Chinese, after they arrive in San Francisco, 175 00:11:30,433 --> 00:11:32,803 were sent into the Sierras to work. 176 00:11:34,833 --> 00:11:36,603 NARRATOR: The transcontinental railroad 177 00:11:36,633 --> 00:11:40,633 fulfills the nation's grand ambition to expand westward, 178 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:43,430 seizing Native American land along the way. 179 00:11:43,966 --> 00:11:47,666 The new railroad connects the Atlantic to the Pacific. 180 00:11:47,900 --> 00:11:50,800 Irish immigrants lay the track westward, 181 00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:54,003 while the Chinese work their way eastward to meet them. 182 00:11:58,466 --> 00:12:00,226 CONNIE: My great grandfather, 183 00:12:00,266 --> 00:12:03,496 he learned English and he became a foreman. 184 00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:08,233 He was paid $1 a day and the cost of the food 185 00:12:08,966 --> 00:12:12,226 was taken from that dollar and the rest of it would be 186 00:12:12,266 --> 00:12:14,596 sent home to his village. 187 00:12:19,266 --> 00:12:21,196 GORDON: The rail Chinese become indispensable 188 00:12:21,233 --> 00:12:22,703 for the railroad company. 189 00:12:22,733 --> 00:12:27,333 They become 80 to 90% of the construction crew. 190 00:12:27,733 --> 00:12:29,603 The railroad line could not have been built 191 00:12:29,633 --> 00:12:32,133 without the Chinese. 192 00:12:33,766 --> 00:12:36,326 The Chinese railroad workers work through some of the most 193 00:12:36,366 --> 00:12:38,896 difficult terrain imaginable. 194 00:12:39,766 --> 00:12:42,366 The Sierra Nevada. 195 00:12:42,666 --> 00:12:45,896 The Chinese dug out 15 tunnels through solid granite. 196 00:12:46,366 --> 00:12:48,196 (dynamite blast) 197 00:12:48,466 --> 00:12:52,996 CONNIE: It was all hand tools with blasting powder. 198 00:12:53,033 --> 00:12:56,673 They would run out of the tunnel and after the blast, 199 00:12:56,700 --> 00:12:59,170 they'd muck it out and start doing it again. 200 00:13:00,100 --> 00:13:02,730 And can you imagine how dangerous that was? 201 00:13:09,833 --> 00:13:13,073 GORDON: The most dangerous time was wintertime. 202 00:13:13,100 --> 00:13:16,070 The snow avalanches would just come down in monumental force 203 00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:18,670 and just sweep away dozens of workers. 204 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,470 Chinese associations send out teams to recover remains of 205 00:13:25,500 --> 00:13:27,330 Chinese for repatriation. 206 00:13:28,666 --> 00:13:32,226 20,000 pounds of remains, around 1,200 people, 207 00:13:33,366 --> 00:13:36,326 picked up in one sweep to be sent back to China. 208 00:13:50,666 --> 00:13:52,596 NARRATOR: After six brutal years, 209 00:13:52,633 --> 00:13:55,833 the two tracks finally cometogether at Promontory Summit. 210 00:13:56,766 --> 00:13:59,326 On May 10, 1869, 211 00:13:59,366 --> 00:14:01,496 the lines are linked with the driving of a 212 00:14:01,533 --> 00:14:04,133 ceremonial Golden Spike. 213 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:09,270 GORDON: The moment is immortalized in one of the 214 00:14:09,300 --> 00:14:11,830 most famous photos of the 19th century in the United States. 215 00:14:16,266 --> 00:14:21,396 People believe this photo deliberately omits Chinese. 216 00:14:21,966 --> 00:14:23,866 Despite their accomplishment, 217 00:14:23,900 --> 00:14:27,200 their sacrifice, their suffering, 218 00:14:27,433 --> 00:14:29,973 they were prohibited from entering the frame. 219 00:14:38,933 --> 00:14:41,033 NARRATOR: With the railroad now complete, 220 00:14:41,066 --> 00:14:43,826 the workers stand at a crossroads: 221 00:14:44,166 --> 00:14:46,296 Should they return to China, 222 00:14:46,333 --> 00:14:49,033 or carve out their future in America? 223 00:14:52,066 --> 00:14:55,166 Thousands decide to stay and take their chances. 224 00:15:13,766 --> 00:15:16,996 CONNIE: My great grandfather, he was able to save money 225 00:15:17,033 --> 00:15:20,033 working on the railroad, go back to San Francisco and be a 226 00:15:20,066 --> 00:15:22,466 partner in a general store. 227 00:15:31,666 --> 00:15:34,066 NARRATOR: The bustling quarteris the center of life for 228 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:37,800 Chinese immigrants, mostly laborers, 229 00:15:38,166 --> 00:15:40,966 young men far from their families. 230 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,100 Chinatown is home. 231 00:15:46,833 --> 00:15:49,833 While the majority of Chinese immigrants are laborers, 232 00:15:49,866 --> 00:15:52,996 a lucky few start their own businesses. 233 00:15:53,333 --> 00:15:56,103 One such entrepreneur is Joseph Tape. 234 00:15:58,233 --> 00:16:00,733 His story begins when he arrives from China, 235 00:16:00,766 --> 00:16:03,266 alone, at age 14. 236 00:16:03,766 --> 00:16:06,366 He quickly learnsEnglish and gets a job driving 237 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,130 a milk wagon. 238 00:16:10,633 --> 00:16:13,833 MAE: He was a little unusual because he seemed to have 239 00:16:13,866 --> 00:16:16,626 cut his ties to his family in China. 240 00:16:20,166 --> 00:16:23,196 He had ideas that he would have his own business 241 00:16:23,233 --> 00:16:24,473 when he got older. 242 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:27,100 He cut his queue, which was kind of an announcement, 243 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,000 he wanted to become an American. 244 00:16:30,433 --> 00:16:32,003 NARRATOR: On one of his milk runs, 245 00:16:32,033 --> 00:16:34,933 he meets the girl who will become his wife. 246 00:16:37,133 --> 00:16:39,673 MAE: Mary Tape is an enigma. 247 00:16:39,933 --> 00:16:42,233 She's brought into the United States and put to work 248 00:16:42,266 --> 00:16:45,326 as a servant in a brothel and she knows what her future 249 00:16:45,366 --> 00:16:47,126 is going to be. 250 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,170 So this little girl ran away to the home of the ladies 251 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,900 protection and relief society and she's raised 252 00:16:54,933 --> 00:16:57,133 as a white American girl. 253 00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:02,870 Mary, who's effaced all of her Chinese-ness meets this 254 00:17:02,900 --> 00:17:07,630 Chinese boy and there's this recognition that they're both 255 00:17:07,666 --> 00:17:09,866 Chinese and American. 256 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,600 Joseph and Mary get married and they have an incredible 257 00:17:15,633 --> 00:17:19,103 life story together as one of the first 258 00:17:19,133 --> 00:17:22,503 Chinese American families. 259 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:30,330 Joseph does realize his dream ambition to be his own man and 260 00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:33,730 he starts his own business in Chinatown. 261 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,200 NARRATOR: Joseph launches a transportation business, 262 00:17:38,233 --> 00:17:41,333 shuttling new-comers from the docks to the Chinese quarter. 263 00:17:44,666 --> 00:17:47,326 MAE: The route that he always took was up third street and 264 00:17:47,366 --> 00:17:51,496 that was where racists would gather on the bridge and throw 265 00:17:51,533 --> 00:17:54,533 rocks and stones at the Chinese entering the country. 266 00:17:57,500 --> 00:17:59,270 NARRATOR: Before the Civil War, 267 00:17:59,300 --> 00:18:01,100 America's economy was fueled by the labor 268 00:18:01,133 --> 00:18:03,333 of enslaved Africans. 269 00:18:04,033 --> 00:18:06,073 After slavery is outlawed, 270 00:18:04,033 --> 00:18:06,073 After slavery is outlawed, 271 00:18:06,100 --> 00:18:09,370 the country is desperate for new sources of labor. 272 00:18:15,933 --> 00:18:19,933 NAYAN: By 1870, the Chinese were actually such a 273 00:18:19,966 --> 00:18:22,826 extraordinarily important part of the 274 00:18:22,866 --> 00:18:24,666 workforce of California. 275 00:18:24,700 --> 00:18:27,170 They were the people that were making it happen, 276 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,030 from construction to manufacturing to agriculture. 277 00:18:30,066 --> 00:18:33,096 People began to have this idea that the Chinese 278 00:18:33,133 --> 00:18:36,433 were a threat to American laborers. 279 00:18:38,566 --> 00:18:40,966 MAE: Chinese were depicted in cartoons as being 280 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:42,800 evil and not Christian. 281 00:18:42,833 --> 00:18:44,373 They're pagans. 282 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,870 Their queues seems to have been a particularly offensive 283 00:18:46,900 --> 00:18:48,670 to white people. 284 00:18:52,233 --> 00:18:55,133 Chinatown is considered this, kind of, den of iniquity 285 00:18:55,733 --> 00:18:58,503 and they becomeassociated with vices like 286 00:18:58,533 --> 00:19:01,703 gambling and opium, prostitution. 287 00:19:04,033 --> 00:19:05,573 It was just a terrible time. 288 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,230 It was a terrible time to be Chinese in California. 289 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:14,130 CONNIE: There was a rise of white labor. 290 00:19:14,700 --> 00:19:19,100 And the 1870s was when the great anti-Chinese movement 291 00:19:19,466 --> 00:19:21,566 took place. 292 00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:28,600 And the rallying cry was, "The Chinese must go." 293 00:19:32,466 --> 00:19:34,196 MAE: The gangs would roam through the streets. 294 00:19:34,233 --> 00:19:36,073 They would go to Chinatown and beat people up. 295 00:19:36,100 --> 00:19:38,300 They would attack Chinese laundries, 296 00:19:38,333 --> 00:19:41,233 burn them down and all over the West, 297 00:19:41,266 --> 00:19:44,266 the Pacific Northwest through Nevada, Southern California, 298 00:19:44,300 --> 00:19:47,570 there were riots, lynching's, burnings, 299 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,400 massacres really of Chinese. 300 00:20:04,566 --> 00:20:07,096 NARRATOR: In 1882, the sentiment on the streets 301 00:20:07,133 --> 00:20:09,373 reaches Washington, DC. 302 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,700 Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act, 303 00:20:12,733 --> 00:20:16,103 closing the door on all Chinese laborers. 304 00:20:16,633 --> 00:20:18,873 For the first time in the nation's history, 305 00:20:18,900 --> 00:20:21,470 a group of people is banned from entering the country 306 00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:24,870 solely on the basis of race. 307 00:20:36,100 --> 00:20:38,200 ERIKA: The Exclusion Act bars laborers, 308 00:20:38,233 --> 00:20:41,733 but it allows Chinese students, teachers, travelers, 309 00:20:41,766 --> 00:20:45,626 merchants, and diplomats to still apply for admission. 310 00:20:47,933 --> 00:20:51,103 So, it then set in motion the requirement of immigration 311 00:20:51,133 --> 00:20:54,873 documents that Chinese were required to hold 312 00:20:54,900 --> 00:20:58,970 on their person and it establishes both the laws and 313 00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:03,130 the mechanisms to arrest and deport those who are found in 314 00:21:03,166 --> 00:21:05,496 the country unlawfully. 315 00:21:03,166 --> 00:21:05,496 the country unlawfully. 316 00:21:07,733 --> 00:21:10,773 So in essence, Chinese immigrants became the first 317 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,170 illegal immigrants, the first undocumented immigrants. 318 00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,373 NARRATOR: The exclusion laws cast a shadow 319 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,770 over Chinese immigrants. 320 00:21:22,233 --> 00:21:25,403 They either have to abandon their dream of a life here or 321 00:21:25,433 --> 00:21:28,233 find a way to circumvent the law. 322 00:21:28,866 --> 00:21:30,696 Joseph Tape sees an opportunity to 323 00:21:30,733 --> 00:21:33,403 expand his business. 324 00:21:35,966 --> 00:21:38,926 MAE: Joseph's work as a transportation agent and a 325 00:21:38,966 --> 00:21:43,726 broker or interpreter put him in this position of being, 326 00:21:44,333 --> 00:21:46,373 you know, this in between person. 327 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,170 Needed by both sides, but also mistrusted. 328 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,600 For the Tape family. 329 00:21:53,633 --> 00:21:55,303 If you take a step back, 330 00:21:55,333 --> 00:21:57,303 you can think about what kind of 331 00:21:57,333 --> 00:22:01,573 opportunities were there forChinese in the late 19th century 332 00:22:02,533 --> 00:22:05,373 to become part of the white middle class? 333 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,070 The only way you could really do it was through this 334 00:22:12,100 --> 00:22:14,700 brokering position. 335 00:22:15,366 --> 00:22:20,426 And it's the one little crackin the wall of exclusion where 336 00:22:20,466 --> 00:22:24,126 there's a need for somebody like this who can stick his 337 00:22:24,166 --> 00:22:26,266 foot through the wall. 338 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,470 Joseph and Mary have several children. 339 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,170 Mamie was the first. 340 00:22:37,433 --> 00:22:40,003 Mary tried to enroll her in the Spring Valley School 341 00:22:40,033 --> 00:22:42,033 on Union Street. 342 00:22:42,066 --> 00:22:44,096 The principal, Jenny Hurley says, 343 00:22:44,133 --> 00:22:46,433 "I'm sorry, we have a policy in the city 344 00:22:46,466 --> 00:22:49,726 that Chinese are not allowed in our schools." 345 00:22:50,133 --> 00:22:54,003 Mary is furious and they decide to sue. 346 00:22:56,766 --> 00:22:59,896 ALISA: I just feel so proud that they did that. 347 00:22:59,933 --> 00:23:03,573 Mary and Joseph did not see themselves as marginalized. 348 00:23:04,233 --> 00:23:09,233 I think they felt that they had to assert their rights. 349 00:23:10,033 --> 00:23:11,933 I mean, they weren't born here, 350 00:23:11,966 --> 00:23:14,826 but their daughter and their other kids are all born here, 351 00:23:14,866 --> 00:23:18,696 so why shouldn't they avail themselves of the privileges 352 00:23:18,733 --> 00:23:21,473 and the rights of an American citizen? 353 00:23:22,966 --> 00:23:25,796 MAE: The case goes to the California Supreme Court, 354 00:23:25,833 --> 00:23:29,073 which rules that they cannot exclude Chinese 355 00:23:29,100 --> 00:23:30,430 from the schools. 356 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,830 But the California Supreme Court, gives a big hint, 357 00:23:38,433 --> 00:23:41,933 "There's no law saying you can't segregate." 358 00:23:43,066 --> 00:23:45,966 San Francisco Board of Education hurries to put 359 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,770 into place a segregated school just for Chinese. 360 00:23:51,166 --> 00:23:53,666 Mary's incensed and she writes a letter to the 361 00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:56,530 school board that gets reprinted in the newspapers. 362 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:02,500 ALISA: Dear Sirs, will you please tell me, 363 00:24:02,533 --> 00:24:05,233 is it a disgrace to be born Chinese? 364 00:24:02,533 --> 00:24:05,233 is it a disgrace to be born Chinese? 365 00:24:05,266 --> 00:24:08,026 What right have you to bar my children out of the school 366 00:24:08,066 --> 00:24:11,026 because they are of Chinese descent? 367 00:24:11,366 --> 00:24:13,366 Mamie Tape will never attend any of the 368 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:15,300 Chinese schools of your making. 369 00:24:15,333 --> 00:24:16,933 Never. 370 00:24:16,966 --> 00:24:20,496 She is more of an American than a good many of you that 371 00:24:20,533 --> 00:24:24,133 are going to prevent her from being educated. 372 00:24:24,566 --> 00:24:27,066 Signed Mrs. M. Tape. 373 00:24:30,300 --> 00:24:32,400 MAE: The irony is when the school opens, 374 00:24:32,433 --> 00:24:35,503 Frank and Mamie are the first two kids at the school 375 00:24:35,533 --> 00:24:37,133 because at the end of the day, 376 00:24:37,166 --> 00:24:39,926 they wanted their kids to go to school and 377 00:24:39,966 --> 00:24:41,666 it must've been a really, 378 00:24:41,700 --> 00:24:44,330 really bitter pill for them to swallow. 379 00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:54,500 ERIKA: Legal challenges were so important for Chinese Americans 380 00:24:54,533 --> 00:24:57,173 because they did not have political power. 381 00:24:57,733 --> 00:25:00,873 All Asian immigrants were denied the right of 382 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:02,870 naturalized citizenship. 383 00:25:05,533 --> 00:25:10,433 Asian Americans were demanding equality and social justice 384 00:25:10,466 --> 00:25:12,496 for all Americans actually. 385 00:25:14,133 --> 00:25:16,003 NARRATOR: Although the Chinese are near the bottom 386 00:25:16,033 --> 00:25:17,803 of the social ladder, 387 00:25:17,833 --> 00:25:20,073 they take their fight to the highest court in the land, 388 00:25:20,100 --> 00:25:22,130 The U.S. Supreme Court. 389 00:25:22,533 --> 00:25:24,703 Immigrant laundrymen prevail in the case 390 00:25:24,733 --> 00:25:27,103 Yick Wo versus Hopkins. 391 00:25:27,133 --> 00:25:30,673 They set the precedent forequal protection under the law, 392 00:25:30,700 --> 00:25:33,030 regardless of race. 393 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,630 A restaurant worker named Wong Kim Ark, 394 00:25:35,666 --> 00:25:38,366 wins the fight to guarantee citizenship for 395 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,000 anyone born in the U.S. 396 00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:46,796 Although the Exclusion Act says to the Chinese, 397 00:25:46,833 --> 00:25:49,573 "You have no place in this country," 398 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:54,700 it's the Chinese who help define American citizenship. 399 00:25:56,866 --> 00:26:00,666 CONNIE: My grandfather, Lee Yoke Suey was a merchant, 400 00:26:01,300 --> 00:26:05,070 he was born in Chinatown and he had a store. 401 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:11,600 April 18th, 1906 was the day of the great 402 00:26:11,633 --> 00:26:13,433 San Francisco earthquake. 403 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:25,130 It was the earthquake in the morning and 404 00:26:25,166 --> 00:26:28,666 they were evacuated and my grandfather realized 405 00:26:28,700 --> 00:26:32,330 there were some papers that he had to have 406 00:26:34,466 --> 00:26:38,166 and he runs back and grabs a bunch of papers. 407 00:26:38,566 --> 00:26:42,526 He's coming out and a soldier sees him and bayoneted him 408 00:26:42,766 --> 00:26:45,796 because they thought he was a looter. 409 00:26:46,066 --> 00:26:51,196 So my grandfather played dead and got up later when the 410 00:26:51,233 --> 00:26:54,233 soldier left and joined his family. 411 00:27:03,966 --> 00:27:06,696 What my grandfather thought was so important that he 412 00:27:03,966 --> 00:27:06,696 What my grandfather thought was so important that he 413 00:27:06,733 --> 00:27:10,033 risked his life for was his birth certificate and several 414 00:27:10,066 --> 00:27:13,066 letters of recommendation from white people that he was a 415 00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:15,530 legitimate American Citizen. 416 00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:19,200 That's what you needed at that time, 417 00:27:19,233 --> 00:27:22,503 that was worth your life. 418 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,630 My grandfather, he would go back and forth to China, 419 00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:32,596 but every time he traveled, his papers were checked. 420 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,770 He wanted his family with him, so he brought his family on 421 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:39,200 one of the trips and had them staying in Shanghai. 422 00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:45,703 In September of 1922, he was coming back and 423 00:27:45,733 --> 00:27:48,173 he died on board ship. 424 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,400 My grandmother realized she had to go back to the 425 00:27:52,433 --> 00:27:55,003 United States and these were American-born children. 426 00:27:55,033 --> 00:27:57,833 My mother and her three sisters. 427 00:27:59,566 --> 00:28:01,796 My mother said it was so exciting when they 428 00:28:01,833 --> 00:28:04,033 reached the Golden Gate, 429 00:28:04,433 --> 00:28:06,173 they could see the city and they were jumping up 430 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,470 with joy and then she said, "And then to be stopped." 431 00:28:13,933 --> 00:28:16,333 NARRATOR: Angel Island Immigration Station, 432 00:28:16,366 --> 00:28:19,826 which opened in 1910, is the chief point of entry for 433 00:28:19,866 --> 00:28:22,696 immigrants from across Asia. 434 00:28:26,066 --> 00:28:28,666 CONNIE: They had an inspection at the dock. 435 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,800 The children were released because they 436 00:28:31,833 --> 00:28:33,173 were American Citizens, 437 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,730 but my grandmother's papers, they officially said, 438 00:28:35,766 --> 00:28:39,466 "This is Wong Shee, wife of Lee Yoke Suey." 439 00:28:40,933 --> 00:28:43,433 The inspector said, "You're a widow. 440 00:28:44,666 --> 00:28:47,566 Your husband is not with you. 441 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,430 A widow has no status," and she was detained. 442 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:53,670 She was taken to Angel Island. 443 00:28:55,166 --> 00:28:58,926 Angel Island has been called the Ellis Island of the West. 444 00:28:59,466 --> 00:29:02,296 Nothing could be farther from the truth. 445 00:29:02,566 --> 00:29:06,066 Ellis Island with the Statue of Liberty represents 446 00:29:06,100 --> 00:29:10,500 immigrants being welcome. 447 00:29:10,900 --> 00:29:13,070 Angel Island meant exclusion. 448 00:29:13,100 --> 00:29:14,530 It meant interrogation. 449 00:29:14,566 --> 00:29:17,496 It was a place to be feared. 450 00:29:24,966 --> 00:29:27,266 My grandmother was detained on Angel Island for 451 00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:29,770 15 and a half months. 452 00:29:33,166 --> 00:29:35,966 NARRATOR: In 1977, Connie took her mother back 453 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,930 to Angel Island for the first time in 50 years. 454 00:29:47,266 --> 00:29:50,496 CONNIE: My mother would take the ferry with her sister to 455 00:29:50,533 --> 00:29:53,233 visit her mother. 456 00:29:53,266 --> 00:29:55,896 She would try to visit like twice a week. 457 00:29:56,733 --> 00:30:01,103 They could only talk through a barrier for like 15 minutes. 458 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,970 My grandmother told my mother, 459 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:08,570 "When you leave, 460 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,570 when you go down the walkway to the boat, 461 00:30:11,933 --> 00:30:15,603 look at the window of the barracks and I'll be waving 462 00:30:15,633 --> 00:30:17,033 from the top floor. 463 00:30:17,066 --> 00:30:19,166 I'll be waving from the window," 464 00:30:19,366 --> 00:30:23,226 and so my mother would go down and she'd see my 465 00:30:23,266 --> 00:30:25,296 grandmother's hand waving to her. 466 00:30:34,233 --> 00:30:37,133 One of the harshest punishments is to separate 467 00:30:37,166 --> 00:30:39,896 parents from their children. 468 00:30:40,300 --> 00:30:44,770 It's the detention of people who are struggling to survive. 469 00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:50,070 NARRATOR: Connie's grandmother spends over 470 00:30:50,100 --> 00:30:51,700 a year at Angel Island, 471 00:30:51,733 --> 00:30:53,903 before she's finally able to reunite with her 472 00:30:53,933 --> 00:30:56,603 American-born children. 473 00:31:04,166 --> 00:31:06,566 Despite the anti-Chinese fervor, 474 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,830 new groups of immigrants continue to arrive. 475 00:31:10,433 --> 00:31:14,873 They add to the mix of Asians already in America. 476 00:31:15,466 --> 00:31:19,126 Many are Sikh men from India who find jobs up and 477 00:31:19,166 --> 00:31:21,266 down the west coast. 478 00:31:23,066 --> 00:31:26,266 VIVEK: The emphasis in South Asian American history over 479 00:31:26,300 --> 00:31:28,670 the years has been on West Coast migration, 480 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,370 but from very, very early on, 481 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,800 there have also been migrants and immigrants 482 00:31:34,833 --> 00:31:39,133 and ship workers coming to ports on the East Coast. 483 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,500 One of the earliest of those migrations consisted 484 00:31:44,533 --> 00:31:48,033 of Muslim men from the region of Hooghly, 485 00:31:48,533 --> 00:31:51,503 north of Calcutta, who were silk traders. 486 00:31:53,300 --> 00:31:56,270 One of those men was Moksad Ali. 487 00:32:04,966 --> 00:32:09,696 (jazz music plays) 488 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,630 (overlapping chatter) 489 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,770 AKLEMIA: My name is Aklemia and it comes from India and 490 00:32:23,933 --> 00:32:27,003 I'm named after my great grandmother Aklemia. 491 00:32:34,433 --> 00:32:36,133 ROBIN: We heard that my great grandfather 492 00:32:36,166 --> 00:32:39,866 Moksad was Turkish. We heard that he was an Arab. 493 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,630 I knew growing up that he traveled a lot. 494 00:32:44,666 --> 00:32:46,666 He was like a traveling salesman. 495 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:51,400 VIVEK: The peddler network in some ways have gone under the 496 00:32:51,433 --> 00:32:55,573 radar because that group was so transient. 497 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:01,770 The majority of men who were peddling would come during the 498 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,800 summer months to the seaside resorts and 499 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,800 summer months to the seaside resorts and 500 00:33:05,833 --> 00:33:08,033 then make their way south. 501 00:33:08,266 --> 00:33:12,026 Moksad Ali was one of the earliest to settle 502 00:33:12,066 --> 00:33:13,766 in New Orleans. 503 00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:22,400 Moksad Ali and the other peddlers, 504 00:33:22,433 --> 00:33:24,403 in order to sell their goods, 505 00:33:24,433 --> 00:33:27,333 they played up their South Asian-ness, 506 00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:28,970 their Indian-ness. 507 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:33,230 They played to the fantasies of the exotic East 508 00:33:33,833 --> 00:33:37,133 that the tourists who they were selling to expected. 509 00:33:41,233 --> 00:33:43,073 At the end of the day, however, 510 00:33:43,100 --> 00:33:46,870 they were dark-skinned men in a deeply segregated society 511 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:51,130 and the places where they were able to live, 512 00:33:51,166 --> 00:33:54,366 build homes, marry and begin families 513 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,130 were within African American communities. 514 00:34:00,733 --> 00:34:04,503 Moksad married an African American woman from the 515 00:34:04,533 --> 00:34:06,673 neighborhood of Treme. 516 00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:08,470 Ella Blackman. 517 00:34:13,700 --> 00:34:17,400 After I wrote about Moksad and Ella in my book, 518 00:34:17,666 --> 00:34:22,196 I was contacted by fourth and fifth generation descendants. 519 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,370 ROBIN: To find out that we were Indian, 520 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:27,830 it just intrigued us that we wanted to learn more 521 00:34:27,866 --> 00:34:30,826 so we kept reaching out to Vivek, asking him, 522 00:34:30,866 --> 00:34:32,996 "Well, did you find out anything?" 523 00:34:34,833 --> 00:34:36,773 VIVEK: This isn't something that I expected. 524 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,000 I had only seen Moksad and Ella as names 525 00:34:40,033 --> 00:34:42,133 within archival documents. 526 00:34:42,700 --> 00:34:45,100 I had never even seen photographs of them. 527 00:34:53,933 --> 00:34:56,403 ROBIN: I can recall my grandmother telling me a story 528 00:34:56,433 --> 00:35:00,373 about when they were small that her and her dad and 529 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,930 mother went to New York on the train. 530 00:35:03,966 --> 00:35:06,766 The kids and the father was all allowed to sit 531 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:08,030 up in the front and the train, 532 00:35:08,066 --> 00:35:11,496 but my grandmother had to sit in the back and 533 00:35:11,533 --> 00:35:16,133 she said, well, it wasn't that she looked black. 534 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,430 It was the fact that they knew she was black. 535 00:35:19,466 --> 00:35:22,596 I said, well that's odd because some of the kids' skin 536 00:35:22,633 --> 00:35:24,873 complexion is darker than my grandmother's. 537 00:35:24,900 --> 00:35:27,670 So, I thought that was really weird, but... 538 00:35:28,433 --> 00:35:29,933 VIVEK: Moksad was darker than your grandmother. 539 00:35:29,966 --> 00:35:31,666 ROBIN: Right. 540 00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:52,000 I know you've been waiting a while to see it. 541 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,470 The cemeteries back then were segregated. 542 00:36:00,500 --> 00:36:02,870 So they should not have been in here, 543 00:36:02,900 --> 00:36:05,400 but they were buried here. 544 00:36:02,900 --> 00:36:05,400 but they were buried here. 545 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:11,503 VIVEK: A white cemetery. ROBIN: A white cemetery. 546 00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:16,930 VIVEK: So he was known as Indian. 547 00:36:16,966 --> 00:36:17,966 ROBIN: Yes. 548 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:19,070 VIVEK: And she was known as black. 549 00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:20,300 ROBIN: Right. 550 00:36:20,333 --> 00:36:22,333 VIVEK: Even though he was darker skinned, 551 00:36:22,366 --> 00:36:25,926 he was allowed to move more freely to do more... 552 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:27,400 ROBIN: Yes. 553 00:36:27,433 --> 00:36:29,373 Where she wasn't. 554 00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:33,870 VIVEK: Breaking the color line in death. 555 00:36:36,133 --> 00:36:39,673 SHARMILA: Surely any immigrant who comes to the United States, 556 00:36:39,700 --> 00:36:41,630 whether at the beginning of the 20th century 557 00:36:41,666 --> 00:36:44,296 or even at the beginning of the 21st century, 558 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,130 comes here and realizes there is a racial hierarchy 559 00:36:49,166 --> 00:36:51,266 in this country. 560 00:36:51,300 --> 00:36:55,370 The top is white and at the bottom is black. 561 00:36:56,033 --> 00:36:59,073 That is how it works in the United States and the new 562 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:01,770 immigrant, like any human being, 563 00:37:02,433 --> 00:37:06,233 wants to make sure thatthey're as far from the bottom 564 00:37:06,266 --> 00:37:09,126 of the pecking order as possible. 565 00:37:10,733 --> 00:37:15,233 In our quest for whiteness, often we're trying to say, 566 00:37:16,066 --> 00:37:19,226 "We're not black, we're not black, we're not black." 567 00:37:20,133 --> 00:37:23,703 That's what we're trying to tell the host country. 568 00:37:24,433 --> 00:37:28,503 I don't think Asians were always given the badge of 569 00:37:28,533 --> 00:37:32,673 honorary whiteness, certainly not during the 570 00:37:32,700 --> 00:37:34,930 Chinese Exclusion Act. 571 00:37:36,233 --> 00:37:37,973 NARRATOR: Even with families, 572 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,930 jobs and dreams, Asians cannot become Americans. 573 00:37:44,100 --> 00:37:46,500 By law, only whites and blacks can apply 574 00:37:46,533 --> 00:37:49,233 for naturalized citizenship. 575 00:37:49,466 --> 00:37:52,126 So to become a citizen, Asian immigrants choose 576 00:37:52,166 --> 00:37:54,496 what they see as their only option. 577 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,830 VIVEK: For South Asians who wanted to become citizens, 578 00:37:59,866 --> 00:38:05,696 for the most part, they made the claim to being white. 579 00:38:19,966 --> 00:38:22,866 SHARMILA: The case of Bhagat Singh Thind is a particularly 580 00:38:22,900 --> 00:38:25,700 important case in US legal history, 581 00:38:25,933 --> 00:38:28,573 US immigration history, and the history of how we 582 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:31,330 understand race and citizenship in this country. 583 00:38:32,866 --> 00:38:37,766 Bhagat Singh Thind was an Indian from the region of 584 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,230 India called Punjab. 585 00:38:39,266 --> 00:38:43,466 He was Sikh, he came to the United States as a young man 586 00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:45,770 and joined the U.S. army 587 00:38:46,133 --> 00:38:49,203 during the last year of World War I. 588 00:38:52,933 --> 00:38:57,073 Basically he goes to court to prove that he is white. 589 00:38:58,233 --> 00:39:01,203 And this case goes back and forth, back and forth, 590 00:39:01,233 --> 00:39:03,773 all the way to the Supreme Court. 591 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,770 The courts say that Bhagat Singh Thind is, 592 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:13,200 as a North Indian, someone from the northern part of the 593 00:39:13,233 --> 00:39:16,573 sub-continent, he is Caucasian, 594 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:20,200 but not, that's not white enough. 595 00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:22,730 So he's not white. 596 00:39:24,733 --> 00:39:27,433 MAE: So you have here in 1923 a really interesting 597 00:39:27,466 --> 00:39:31,766 example of the Supreme Court acknowledging that race 598 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:33,670 is a social construct. Right? 599 00:39:33,700 --> 00:39:36,330 What the common man on the street thinks is white, 600 00:39:36,366 --> 00:39:38,096 that is white, and nobody would consider 601 00:39:38,133 --> 00:39:40,503 you to be white. 602 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,770 SHARMILA: If before Thind there were other Indians who 603 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:47,430 could be counted as white, 604 00:39:47,466 --> 00:39:49,866 when the court's verdict comes out, 605 00:39:49,900 --> 00:39:53,400 that Thind is not white, it has ramifications. 606 00:39:53,933 --> 00:39:56,733 Their citizenship were taken away. 607 00:39:57,300 --> 00:40:01,470 They lost land because land ownership was tied to this. 608 00:40:05,500 --> 00:40:09,500 ERIKA: Following the Bhagat Singh Thind case, 609 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:12,530 the government officials came, 610 00:40:12,566 --> 00:40:15,696 knocked on Vaishno das Bagai's door, 611 00:40:15,733 --> 00:40:19,433 the South Asian American who brought his entire family 612 00:40:19,466 --> 00:40:22,166 to the United States because he believed that the 613 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:26,200 United States, unlike India under British Colonial rule, 614 00:40:26,233 --> 00:40:29,073 was a place where his children could be free. 615 00:40:31,900 --> 00:40:34,030 NARRATOR: Because of the Supreme Court decision, 616 00:40:34,066 --> 00:40:37,226 Vaishno Das Bagai is now denaturalized and his 617 00:40:37,266 --> 00:40:39,796 US citizenship revoked. 618 00:40:40,066 --> 00:40:42,926 And since non-citizens are banned from owning property, 619 00:40:42,966 --> 00:40:46,026 he loses his house and his store. 620 00:40:46,266 --> 00:40:49,266 He is stripped of his identity. 621 00:40:49,533 --> 00:40:50,833 ERIKA: He said, 622 00:40:50,866 --> 00:40:54,666 "Obstacles in front of me and obstacles behind me." 623 00:40:55,033 --> 00:40:59,833 He could not find a way forwardand he commited suicide. 624 00:41:10,866 --> 00:41:14,426 NARRATOR: Anti-immigration policies bar new arrivals, 625 00:41:14,466 --> 00:41:17,326 but Asian American families like the Tapes and Alis 626 00:41:17,366 --> 00:41:19,426 continue to thrive. 627 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,270 Their US-born children imaginea better future for themselves. 628 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:33,130 ♪ 629 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,630 ERIKA: There is a really important shift in 630 00:41:38,666 --> 00:41:42,666 particularly the Chinese and Japanese American community. 631 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,970 There is a second generation population that is growing up. 632 00:41:50,166 --> 00:41:53,796 They're very insistent that they are as 633 00:41:53,833 --> 00:41:55,703 American as anyone else. 634 00:41:58,066 --> 00:42:00,696 NARRATOR: This generation wants to play baseball, 635 00:42:00,733 --> 00:42:03,773 dance the Charleston, and see themselves reflected 636 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:05,700 on the silver screen. 637 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:05,700 on the silver screen. 638 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,370 And for the first time, they do. 639 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,130 SHIRLEY: Anna May Wong was born in Los Angeles, 640 00:42:19,166 --> 00:42:22,996 just outside of Chinatown, January 3rd, 1905. 641 00:42:24,266 --> 00:42:27,226 And she was born to a laundry man, 642 00:42:27,700 --> 00:42:29,970 and as a child she would deliver bundles of 643 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,030 laundry to customers. 644 00:42:32,566 --> 00:42:35,766 With the tips, she would go to the movies. 645 00:42:37,933 --> 00:42:41,773 That helped shape her into wanting to actually become 646 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,130 part of Hollywood and the movies. 647 00:42:49,966 --> 00:42:52,496 So Anna May Wong's first starring role was in 648 00:42:52,533 --> 00:42:53,933 "The Toll Of The Sea". 649 00:42:53,966 --> 00:42:57,896 She was 17 when she got the role and she plays a 650 00:42:57,933 --> 00:43:01,503 Madame Butterfly role where she gets pregnant by an 651 00:43:01,533 --> 00:43:06,773 American man and ends up actually giving him the baby 652 00:43:07,433 --> 00:43:09,633 and committing suicide. 653 00:43:16,500 --> 00:43:18,930 NANCY: There was always, I think, an ambivalence that 654 00:43:18,966 --> 00:43:20,366 her family had with her career. 655 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:22,130 So even though she was earning a lot, 656 00:43:22,166 --> 00:43:24,126 she was actually putting her siblings through school, 657 00:43:24,166 --> 00:43:26,996 they were not proud of her. 658 00:43:29,833 --> 00:43:32,533 SHIRLEY: One of her most prominent roles was in 659 00:43:32,566 --> 00:43:35,366 "The Thief of Baghdad" with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 660 00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:38,600 MAN: The Mongol slave girl is portrayed by 661 00:43:38,633 --> 00:43:41,073 the beauteous Anna May Wong, 662 00:43:41,100 --> 00:43:43,670 who is soon to be type for every Oriental role in the 663 00:43:43,700 --> 00:43:45,600 Hollywood spectrum. 664 00:43:45,866 --> 00:43:49,626 SHIRLEY: She did play in a somewhat scantily clad outfit 665 00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:52,900 and I think she got some grief from her family, 666 00:43:53,666 --> 00:43:56,866 but it did catapult her into a level of fame. 667 00:44:06,933 --> 00:44:10,533 Her career had everything to do with American attitudes 668 00:44:11,233 --> 00:44:13,373 towards Asian Americans. 669 00:44:13,566 --> 00:44:15,726 MAN: Ling Moy, I can't believe such loathsome 670 00:44:15,766 --> 00:44:17,926 jealousy in you. 671 00:44:17,966 --> 00:44:20,096 ANNA: No love now. 672 00:44:20,133 --> 00:44:22,103 No jealousy. 673 00:44:22,966 --> 00:44:25,566 Just merciless vengeance. 674 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:27,300 NANCY: In interviews she would say things like, 675 00:44:27,333 --> 00:44:29,533 "Why do we always have to be the villain?" You know? 676 00:44:29,566 --> 00:44:32,296 "Us, a civilization that's so much older than the West." 677 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,070 MARLENE: Don't do anything foolish. 678 00:44:36,533 --> 00:44:39,033 NANCY: She jokes that like on her tombstone has to say, 679 00:44:39,066 --> 00:44:42,066 "She died 1,000 deaths," because every single movie she 680 00:44:42,100 --> 00:44:45,500 just either commits suicide or gets shot or just dies. 681 00:44:46,933 --> 00:44:49,573 ANNA: Forgive me, majestic father. 682 00:44:52,700 --> 00:44:54,670 NARRATOR: The only other Asian star to grace the 683 00:44:54,700 --> 00:44:57,170 silent screen is the Japanese immigrant actor 684 00:44:57,200 --> 00:44:59,400 Sessue Hayakawa. 685 00:45:00,066 --> 00:45:02,796 He and Anna May Wong dazzle Hollywood and 686 00:45:02,833 --> 00:45:05,273 project an image to audiences who may never 687 00:45:02,833 --> 00:45:05,273 project an image to audiences who may never 688 00:45:05,300 --> 00:45:07,770 meet an Asian in real life. 689 00:45:08,133 --> 00:45:11,273 NANCY: Sessue Hayakawa started in "The Cheat" which was 1915, 690 00:45:11,666 --> 00:45:14,996 and "The Cheat" was what reallypropelled him to superstardom 691 00:45:15,033 --> 00:45:17,233 where he became this matinee idol. 692 00:45:18,766 --> 00:45:20,566 Apparently he was walking across the street and there 693 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:22,700 was a puddle and he was, like, grimacing and 694 00:45:22,733 --> 00:45:25,533 then all these dozens of white women, like, lay down 695 00:45:25,566 --> 00:45:27,926 their furs onto the puddles so he could walk across 696 00:45:27,966 --> 00:45:29,466 the fur to them. 697 00:45:32,466 --> 00:45:37,326 ERIKA: "The Cheat" is a great example of an enduring casting 698 00:45:37,366 --> 00:45:43,626 of Asian men as a sneaky evildoer who is 699 00:45:44,466 --> 00:45:46,796 Westernized on the outside, 700 00:45:46,833 --> 00:45:49,433 but Oriental through and through, 701 00:45:50,333 --> 00:45:54,603 and who has as his ambition 702 00:45:55,633 --> 00:45:58,633 to take over the United States, 703 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:03,270 either through military occupation or through economic 704 00:46:03,300 --> 00:46:08,400 control, and most certainly through the possession and 705 00:46:08,433 --> 00:46:10,473 defilement of white women. 706 00:46:12,866 --> 00:46:15,096 He literally stamps her, 707 00:46:15,133 --> 00:46:17,973 burning his brand into her flesh. 708 00:46:20,833 --> 00:46:24,903 It's a very violent end, a message that perfectly 709 00:46:24,933 --> 00:46:27,433 resonated in 1915 with the racial 710 00:46:27,466 --> 00:46:29,596 violence that's endemic. 711 00:46:32,266 --> 00:46:34,496 NANCY: Even though the film was highly popular and 712 00:46:34,533 --> 00:46:37,533 propelled him to superstardom, the Japanese American 713 00:46:37,566 --> 00:46:39,696 community were horrified. 714 00:46:39,966 --> 00:46:43,996 Violence enacted against Japanese because of that film. 715 00:46:50,366 --> 00:46:52,796 NARRATOR: Sessue Hayakawa goes on to establish his 716 00:46:52,833 --> 00:46:55,533 own studio to take creative control of his career. 717 00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:00,300 And Anna May Wong continues to work in the talkies. 718 00:47:00,866 --> 00:47:03,066 But leading roles in mainstream movies remain out 719 00:47:03,100 --> 00:47:05,770 of reach for her. 720 00:47:07,133 --> 00:47:09,773 So when she learns about a big budget Hollywood movie 721 00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:11,100 set in China, 722 00:47:11,133 --> 00:47:13,733 she sees an opportunity for a breakthrough. 723 00:47:17,166 --> 00:47:21,396 SHIRLEY: "The Good Earth", everybody in Los Angeles' 724 00:47:21,900 --> 00:47:25,770 Chinatown knew it was going to be the biggest movie ever. 725 00:47:25,800 --> 00:47:29,200 It had a huge budget, $2 million. 726 00:47:30,100 --> 00:47:32,270 MGM, big studio production. 727 00:47:37,833 --> 00:47:43,003 The Good Earth epitomized the height of Hollywood yellowface 728 00:47:43,533 --> 00:47:46,203 casting with Paul Muni, who's white playing the 729 00:47:46,233 --> 00:47:50,503 leading male Chinese peasant, and Luise Rainer. 730 00:47:50,833 --> 00:47:53,403 LUISE: I am with child. 731 00:47:55,666 --> 00:47:59,096 SHIRLEY: Both would go on to win Academy Awards for their 732 00:47:59,133 --> 00:48:01,573 performances, so this was rewarded. 733 00:48:05,133 --> 00:48:09,973 ♪ JOLSEN: Mammy, mammy ♪ 734 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:14,030 SHAIRLEY: Blackface and yellowface, 735 00:48:14,066 --> 00:48:16,796 it's really a reflection of Americans and how deeply 736 00:48:16,833 --> 00:48:20,233 racist American society was at the time. 737 00:48:21,566 --> 00:48:26,896 White actors and actresses would be made up, blackface, 738 00:48:27,366 --> 00:48:30,096 faces blackened, yellowface, eyes taped, 739 00:48:30,666 --> 00:48:35,426 yellow makeup and would play ingeneral mocking performances, 740 00:48:36,333 --> 00:48:39,773 a very stereotyped and negative portrayal of 741 00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:42,430 what they believed the other races to be like. 742 00:48:43,233 --> 00:48:45,233 MAN: You'd better look out. 743 00:48:45,900 --> 00:48:48,530 ANNA: Perhaps the white girl had better be looking out. 744 00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:52,830 SHIRLEY: Anna May Wong knew that if she got a leading role 745 00:48:52,866 --> 00:48:57,726 in "The Good Earth" it would change her entire career. 746 00:49:01,566 --> 00:49:07,096 She was asked to try out for Lotus, the supporting role, 747 00:49:08,333 --> 00:49:10,433 the evil wife character, 748 00:49:10,466 --> 00:49:13,926 and she famously told the Los Angeles Times 749 00:49:13,966 --> 00:49:18,126 in 1935, "How dare they ask me to try out 750 00:49:18,166 --> 00:49:21,426 for the only negative role in this film, you know, 751 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,030 me being the only person with Chinese blood." 752 00:49:31,700 --> 00:49:35,770 ANNA: "December 16th, 1935. 753 00:49:36,066 --> 00:49:40,866 Darling Fania, I've made two tests for the Lotus part. 754 00:49:41,133 --> 00:49:43,733 From all appearances, Miss Rainer is definitely 755 00:49:43,766 --> 00:49:46,596 set for the part of Olan. 756 00:49:46,933 --> 00:49:50,533 No use bucking up against a stone wall. 757 00:49:50,866 --> 00:49:53,096 Particularly everyone, including my friends, 758 00:49:53,133 --> 00:49:55,333 seem to feel that I should take the Lotus part if there's 759 00:49:55,366 --> 00:49:57,726 lots of money in it. 760 00:49:58,033 --> 00:50:01,133 Always, Anna May." 761 00:50:07,166 --> 00:50:09,496 SHIRLEY: Once it became clear to her that she was not going 762 00:50:09,533 --> 00:50:13,403 to get the leading role in "The Good Earth" and that the 763 00:50:13,433 --> 00:50:17,933 Lotus role was offered to a white actress, she was like, 764 00:50:18,866 --> 00:50:20,826 "To hell with Hollywood." 765 00:50:25,900 --> 00:50:28,000 NARRATOR: Despite the bamboo ceiling, 766 00:50:28,033 --> 00:50:30,733 Anna May Wong's career spans 40 years in all 767 00:50:30,766 --> 00:50:33,026 the mediums of her time. 768 00:50:36,700 --> 00:50:39,630 The girl from Chinatown continues to break barriers 769 00:50:39,666 --> 00:50:41,426 and challenge the conventions of race and 770 00:50:41,466 --> 00:50:44,666 gender against all odds. 771 00:50:54,133 --> 00:51:00,433 ♪ 772 00:51:13,166 --> 00:51:15,366 ELAINE: As the first United States Secretary of 773 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:18,030 Transportation of Chinese ancestry, 774 00:51:19,466 --> 00:51:23,866 I have the unique and moving opportunity to fully 775 00:51:23,900 --> 00:51:28,230 acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of these 776 00:51:28,266 --> 00:51:31,126 laborers of Chinese heritage. 777 00:51:33,933 --> 00:51:37,473 ERIKA: We know well the consequences of 778 00:51:37,500 --> 00:51:41,330 immigration exclusion, of denaturalization, 779 00:51:41,633 --> 00:51:44,333 of deportation and detention. 780 00:51:45,533 --> 00:51:49,903 It is a history of always being in the shadow, 781 00:51:50,266 --> 00:51:53,166 of always feeling unwelcome. 782 00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:57,000 We have to see all of these systems, 783 00:51:57,033 --> 00:51:59,003 Jim Crow segregation, 784 00:51:59,033 --> 00:52:01,733 Asian exclusion as being interrelated. 785 00:52:02,700 --> 00:52:05,130 VIVEK: Everyone say Moksad and Ella. 786 00:52:05,166 --> 00:52:07,396 CROWD: Moksad and Ella. 787 00:52:08,666 --> 00:52:11,896 ERIKA: They are all part of a larger system about how 788 00:52:11,933 --> 00:52:15,933 race works, how we define what it is to be an American. 789 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:21,900 CONNIE: We honor the courage, fortitude and sacrifice of 790 00:52:21,933 --> 00:52:25,473 Chinese railroad workers, and their legacy in America, 791 00:52:25,500 --> 00:52:28,000 which belongs to all of us. 792 00:52:33,666 --> 00:52:36,496 NARRATOR: They came here with dreams of gold, 793 00:52:36,533 --> 00:52:39,533 but many found the promise of something greater. 794 00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:42,700 Asian immigrants built railroads, 795 00:52:42,733 --> 00:52:46,573 they built communities, they built families. 796 00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:49,670 And they reimagined the American dream. 797 00:52:49,866 --> 00:52:52,226 They challenged the country to live up to its ideal as a 798 00:52:52,266 --> 00:52:54,826 place where people from all corners of the world 799 00:52:54,866 --> 00:52:57,096 can call home. 800 00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:09,900 ♪ 801 00:53:15,033 --> 00:53:17,103 ROBERTA: They're Americans and they fought on the side 802 00:53:17,133 --> 00:53:18,503 of the United States while the rest of their 803 00:53:18,533 --> 00:53:20,303 family was incarcerated. 804 00:53:20,800 --> 00:53:22,930 WOMAN: I couldn't believe we were being corralled to 805 00:53:22,966 --> 00:53:24,826 this concentration camp. 806 00:53:25,166 --> 00:53:28,126 SATSUKI: The government framed it as an issue of loyalty. 807 00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:30,173 ROBERTA: My uncles felt compelled to 808 00:53:30,200 --> 00:53:31,630 renounce their brother. 809 00:53:31,666 --> 00:53:33,426 He was considered a traitor. 810 00:53:34,233 --> 00:53:36,833 SATSUKI: I'm here today so the rest of this world 811 00:53:36,866 --> 00:53:38,396 hears our story. 812 00:53:38,666 --> 00:53:41,026 ♪ 813 00:53:44,166 --> 00:53:46,826 ♪♪ 814 00:53:46,866 --> 00:53:50,126 ♪♪ 815 00:53:50,166 --> 00:53:51,966 ♪♪ 816 00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:52,930 ♪♪ 817 00:53:52,966 --> 00:53:54,626 ♪♪ 818 00:53:59,266 --> 00:54:01,626 NARRATOR: To order Asian Americans on DVD, 819 00:54:01,666 --> 00:54:05,996 visit ShopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS 820 00:54:07,600 --> 00:54:09,530 This program is also available on Amazon Prime Video.