What Asian American And Pacific Islander Families Are ‘Inheriting’ From Their Past

Topline:

What’s Inheriting about? The first season of Inheriting follows the journey of seven people from across the AAPI diaspora who each have a question about their history. Hosted by NPR’s Emily Kwong, families from Cambodia, Guam, Japan, India, Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam have deeply emotional conversations with their relatives. The show explores how each families’ most private moments are an important, but overlooked, part of history and how those experiences can ripple through generations. In doing so, Inheriting aims to tell a fuller story of AAPI communities and unpack the legacies Asian American and Pacific Islanders are constantly inheriting.

Why it matters: Asian Americans are the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group in the U.S. AAPIs are also the fastest growing ethnic group in California, about 16% of the state's population. Yet, what many people think they know about AAPI history isn’t always the full story. Inheriting examines AAPI stories, while also taking into account those of other BIPOC and immigrant groups, in order to better understand how the histories of different communities of color are intertwined and have affected one another. The history of the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising — the first two episodes of the show — is a testament of that truth.

Where can I find the show?

Listen to Inheriting Episodes 1 and 2.

New episodes of “Inheriting” — produced by LAist Studios and distributed by the NPR Network — come out every Thursday through July 11. Subscribe to the podcast or hit follow on your app of choice (NPR, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Along with the podcast, you can read details about each episode every week and find resource guides that will accompany them on the show’s webpage.

Also, you’ll find weekly videos featuring host Emily Kwong on LAist’s Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.