Description

In August 2021, US Heartland China Association (USHCA), a HLF grantee, joined with SupChina, a New York-based news, information and business service platform, and the Black China Caucus, a non-profit dedicated to promoting, developing, advancing, and enhancing the presence and participation of Black professionals who specialize on China, to co-host a virtual screening and panel discussion of the film Far East Deep South (FEDS). An award-winning feature documentary produced by Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu, a husband-wife music and filmmaking team based in Los Angeles, CA, FEDS follows the journey of the Chiu family through their trip to Cleveland, Mississippi, where they encounter the racially complex history of early Chinese immigrants in the segregated American South, and discover how they and their Black neighbors looked beyond cultural differences to create a community.
Based on the success of this event, USHCA and the producers of FEDS seek HLF support to collaborate on a five-city viewing and speaking tour in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama to further broaden awareness of the history of Chinese in America, promote understanding of their lived experiences, and build bridges between Chinese Americans and African Americans. At each city stop, FEDS producers and USHCA staff will engage students and community members through film viewing, discussion and storytelling, hoping in the process to uncover more Chinese American immigrant stories and produce new visual materials to document the tour and its impact.  This project will also allow USHCA to deepen for its Chinese American members the sense of belonging and strengthen its network with African American communities in the Heartland region.
Providing a unique perspective on immigration, race and American identity, this film and the proposed tour will highlight the struggles and perseverance of Chinese Americans in the South, without limiting itself to just a story of discrimination, exclusion, and injustice.  “We discovered how this community of people found redemption and created new families among strangers; how being caught between Black and white created a bridge for everyone,“ said Baldwin Chiu. He continued, “I hope that when future generations learn about the American South, they will know that there was more to the story than just Black and white.”
If approved, our grant will support expenses related to film licensing, the purchase of DVD of the film and CD Soundtrack for educational institutions, speaking fees, travel, promotion, and USHCA’s program management.   Submitted by Yuting Li and Helena Kolenda