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Inheriting Resource Guide

Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. Hosted by NPR’s Emily Kwong, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities.

Our hope is that this show sparks conversation within families and classrooms. This digital resource guide is for anyone who wants to dig deeper.

The "Inheriting" Process

Table of Contents

Our team developed a multi-step approach for preparing individuals to interview their own family and friends. We wanted to share that process with anyone interested in doing the same.

On the show, we talked with people who lived through major historical events, such as Japanese American Incarceration and the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising.

Exploring these moments could be challenging for our guests. So early on, our show received training in trauma reporting from Columbia University’s Dart Center of Journalism and Trauma. We used principles from Natalie Yahr’s Guide to Less-Extractive Reporting. As we considered which families to interview, we sought to work with individuals who had a specific question about the past and were at a place in their lives where they were ready to talk about it.

Community Resources

Once we selected an individual to participate on Inheriting, we worked with them to develop a list of questions to ask their family member of choice.

Part of the Inheriting production process also included knowing ahead of time which topics or memories were too triggering, private, or otherwise off-limits for conversation. Ahead of particularly difficult conversations, we spoke with our consulting psychologist Sherry Wang, who encouraged us to build in breaks and conversational guardrails, letting guests know ahead of time the scope of what would be asked. For example, if there were stories or details the family member did not want to explore further during the interview, we respected that and pivoted to a different question.

At the end of each interview, we also asked reflective questions such as, “what surprised you the most about having this conversation?” or “how does it feel to talk about this?”

Talking To Your Own Family

  • If you’re stumped on how to replicate this process with your own relatives, start small. Maybe record one memory or moment in time. Also, be intentional. Tell your family members WHY you want to do this (e.g. “for posterity,” “for my own education”). For further guidance on building your own family interview practice, check out oral history resources available through Self Evident and StoryCorps.

Several of these interviews happened over the course of a few days or weeks, and many of our participating families have told us they’ve continued to talk long after production on this show wrapped.

Resources for Episodes 1 & 2: Carol & the L.A. Uprising


The media coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising was extensive, but often missing what our show calls the “wraparound history,” the demographics, the economics, and the social forces that led up to that moment – everything outside of Carol Kwang Park’s cashier booth at her family’s gas station. Below are books, documentaries, and reporting that guided this episode, as well as additional information around the L.A.Uprising.

Listen to Episode 1 of "Inheriting"

Writing

Films

Listen to Episode 2 of "Inheriting"

Reporting

Lesson Plans to accompany Episodes 1 and 2 from the Asian American Education Project 

Resources for Episode 3: Victoria & the Cambodian Genocide

Listen to Episode 3 of "Inheriting"

Long Beach, California is home to one of the largest Cambodian populations outside of Southeast Asia. Most Cambodian adults of a certain age in Long Beach are survivors of the Cambodian Genocide that took place from 1975 to 1979. Victoria Uce wants people to understand how her community lives with this history daily and how they “walk with it.” Below are books, podcasts, reporting, and films that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support Cambodians in California.

Writing & Reporting

Podcasts

Films

Organizations

  • The MAYE Center – Long Beach wellness center that offers yoga and agriculture programs for self-healing, started by Laura Som, a Khmer Rouge survivor
  • United Cambodian Community – Long Beach-based nonprofit that offers social services to the Khmer community
  • The Cambodian Family – Orange County nonprofit that offers social service resources for refugees and immigrants from Cambodia
  • Khmer Girls in Action – Long Beach-based youth and Southeast Asian women-led organization that offers leadership programs and advocates for racial, gender, and economic justice
Lesson Plans to accompany Episode 3 from the Asian American Education Project 
Listen to Episode 4 of "Inheriting"

Resources for Episode 4: Bảo & the Vietnam War


In the final days of the Vietnam War, Vietnamese citizens and American military personnel left the country in droves. Bảo Trương’s father, Thuận Trương, was a pilot for the South Vietnamese Air Force and airlifted nearly 100 people to safety to Thailand, a day before Saigon fell. That memory has significantly shaped Bảo’s family history. Below are books, documentaries, and articles that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support Vietnamese individuals in Southern California.

Writing & Reporting

Podcasts

Community Organizations

  • Viet-C.A.R.E. – Orange County-based nonprofit that supports and promotes mental health services to Vietnamese community members
  • VietRISE – Orange County-based nonprofit that advocates for social justice within the OC’s Vietnamese and working-class communities 
  • Southeast Asian American Collaborative – A network of 15 Southeast Asian American-serving organizations advocating for social justice and equity 
  • Viet Stories – Vietnamese American Oral History Project at University of California, Irvine
Lesson Plans to accompany Episode 4 from the Asian American Education Project 
Listen to Episode 5 of "Inheriting"

Resources for Episode 5: Leah & Japanese American Incarceration


After the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. declared war on Japan. The federal government incarcerated over 125,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, into a system of camps out of “military necessity.” This experience changed the lives of those incarcerated and their descendants. Among them is Leah Bash and her family.

Below are books, documentaries, and articles that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that help individuals who need mental health support in Southern California and beyond.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, please  call or text ‘988’ – the 24-hour suicide and crisis lifeline. You can also chat online on 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s website.

Writing, Documentary & Podcasts

Mental Health & Epigenetics Research and Resources 

Organizations

  • Densho – Nonprofit that documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans and provides research for understanding WWII incarceration
  • Little Tokyo Service Center – Social service and community organization that provides resources to individuals in need and cultural preservation work in Southern California  
  • Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance – Leading national organization focused on mood disorder research, support, and education 
  • Los Angeles County Suicide Prevention Network – Southern California-based group of mental health professionals, advocates and survivors, who work together to decrease suicide rates
Lesson Plans To Accompany Episode 5 from the Asian American Education Project

Resources for Episode 6: Saira, Shakeel & 9/11's Impact

The September 11th terrorist attacks set off many policy changes in the U.S., some of which led to a surge in discrimination, racial profiling, and hate crimes against Muslim Americans, or those perceived as Muslim. In the aftermath of 9/11, activist Shakeel Syed stood up for Muslim civil liberties, but this work kept him from his family for long stretches of time.

Listen to Episode 6 of "Inheriting"

Below are reporting, podcasts and research that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support Muslim individuals and families in Southern California.

Writing & Reporting

Documentaries & Podcasts

Research

Organizations

Lesson Plans To Accompany Episode 6 from the Asian American Education Project

Resources for Episode 7: Leialani & The Occupation of Guam

Listen to Episode 7 of "Inheriting"

During World War II, Imperial Japan invaded and occupied the island of Guam, inflicting nearly three years of enslavement, mass murder and cultural erasure on the CHamorus, the Indigenous people of Guam and the Mariana Islands. As the end of WWII neared, U.S. forces recaptured Guam from Imperial Japan in 1944. While this marked the end of Imperial Japan’s occupation, the legacy of colonialism and militarization continues on Guam. Leialani Wihongi-Santos began to question the narrative taught to her in school that the U.S. “saved” Guam, as she learned more about the U.S.’s role in displacing CHamorus from their native lands.

Below are books, essays, documentaries, and other resources that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support CHamorus and Pacific Islanders in Southern California and beyond.

Writing & Reporting

Documentaries & Podcasts

Organizations

  • Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum - Art museum amplifying the collective wisdom of the Pacific Islands people of Oceania through rotating installations and lived experiences
  • Independent Guåhan - Nonprofit organization with a mission to empower the CHamoru people to reclaim sovereignty as a nation
Lesson Plans To Accompany Episode 7 from the Asian American Education Project

Resources for Episode 8: What does AAPI really stand for?

Listen to Episode 8 of "Inheriting"

The U.S. Census hasn’t used the category “Asian American Pacific Islander” for decades, but the term “AAPI” is still ubiquitous today for heritage months, data collection and nonprofits. How useful is a term that lumps together multiple ethnic groups into one umbrella label?

Below are articles, essays and research that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support Pacific Islanders.

Writing & Reporting

Research

Organizations

Resources for Episode 9: Nicole & the Third World Liberation Front

Listen to Episode 9 of "Inheriting"

The 1960s was a time of major political change that included the rise of the Civil Rights movement, protests against the Vietnam War, and the establishment of the Black Panther Party. The Third World Liberation Front also began around this time. This movement, led by minority student groups at San Francisco State University, brought ethnic studies programs to colleges nationwide and transformed higher education. Patrick Salaver co-founded SF State’s first Filipino student group, currently known as the Pilipinx American Collegiate Endeavor, or PACE, and was one of the leaders behind the Third World Liberation Front. But his work had a personal cost.

Below are reporting, research, documentaries, and other resources that guided this episode, as well as community organizations that support Filipino individuals.

Reporting & Documentaries & Podcasts

Research

Organizations

  • Pilipinx American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) – Organization supporting Pilipinx students at San Francisco State University, co-founded by Patrick Salaver
  • San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies – College of Ethnic Studies that grew from the 1968 Black Student Union/Third World Liberation Front Student Strike
  • Filipino Community Center – San Francisco nonprofit for Filipino families to access support, resources, and find community 
  • LEAD Filipino – San Jose-based nonprofit organizing for Filipino American civic empowerment, grassroots leadership, health equity, and culturally responsive education
  • Balay Kreative – Art studio that provides grants, space, a residency program, and support for Filipino artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Pat Salaver’s niece Nicole Salaver works as a program manager.
Lesson Plans To Accompany Episode 9 from the Asian American Education Project

Resources for Episode 10: Inheriting Live Show: How do we talk about our family histories?

Listen to Episode 10 of "Inheriting"

In the final episode of Inheriting, host Emily Kwong brings listeners practical advice from the show’s consulting psychologist Sherry C. Wang and ethnic studies scholar Carol Kwang Park (from episodes 1 & 2) about how people can interview their own family members. This conversation was inspired by our team’s interview facilitation process in Season 1.

Inheriting is a podcast modeling how to have conversations about family history. Interviewing a family member can be life changing and nerve-wracking, whether or not you’ve previously had an open dialogue. Below we’ve included guides to help kickstart a conversation with your family, as well as mental health resources.

Interviewing guides

Mental health resources

Listen to all episodes of the show at LAist.com/Inheriting and follow the show on your app of choice here.

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