“What did it mean to be Chinese in Black neighborhoods during segregation in the 1930s?” One filmmaker’s documentary journeys through her grandmother’s family history growing up as a young Chinese girl with grocer parents in the Jim Crow era.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker and actor Crystal Kwok, executive produced by W. Kamau Bell, actor Daniel Wu, and journalist Lisa Ling, “Blurring the Color Line” confronts the complex issues of racism, Afro-Asian tensions and white supremacy that still grips communities today.
Executive producers Daniel Wu, Lisa Ling, W. Kamau Bell (from left to right).
When tensions between white and Black neighborhoods in the mid-1900s South ran high, Kwok’s great-grandparents raised a family of mostly daughters and ran an essential business in Augusta, Georgia where friendships between minority groups were unlikely.
Joy Young Family grocery store owner, Charles Yee (right) and young employee (1948). Photo courtesy of June Law.
In a world of arranged marriages, always saving face, conforming or rebelling against the strict Chinese patriarchy, and being pitted against each other with Model Minority myths, discover where the Chinese truly find themselves in this part of America.
WTWOO grocery store and employees (1930s). Photo courtesy of Dorothy Loo.
Editorial Staff Follow NextShark on <a>Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/nextshark">Twitter</a> to keep up-to-date on our posts! Send us tips, press releases, and story ideas to info[at]nextshark[dot]com.
Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.
Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.
We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.