“Our America: Asian Voices” airs across ABC Owned Television Stations the weekend of May 8-9, and rebroadcasts May 15-16, with a special airing on National Geographic on May 20.
The news special celebrates the heritage of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, sharing their history in America and their diverse cultures and traditions. “Asian Voices” will air across linear in the following markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno, as well as on the stations’ 32 connected TV apps on streaming platforms Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.
ABC Owned Television Stations’ on-air journalists David Ono (KABC-TV Los Angeles), CeFaan Kim (WABC-TV New York), Dion Lim (KGO-TV San Francisco) and Nydia Han (WPVI-TV Philadelphia) lead the conversation about the rise of xenophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic and the early history of racism and discrimination toward Asians in America.
The news special includes a candid conversation about harmful stereotypes, such as the “model minority” myth and the assumption that all Asians are the same. However, it also celebrates and highlights the diversity of the AAPI community through personal stories of Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Polynesian, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese and Chinese cultures, communities and contributions to America. Experts, activists, celebrities, journalists and families from the AAPI community share personal stories, analyses and opinions about identity, background, family, challenges, triumphs, traditions, community and cultural pride.
“Our America: Asian Voices,” airs on WABC-TV New York, May 9 (12 a.m. EDT); KABC-TV Los Angeles, May 8 (3 p.m. PDT); WLS-TV Chicago, May 9 (11 p.m. CDT); WPVI-TV Philadelphia, May 9 (12 a.m. EDT); KGO-TV San Francisco, May 9 (2:30 p.m. PDT); KTRK-TV Houston, May 9 (4 p.m. CDT); WTVD-TV Raleigh Durham, May 9 (12 p.m. EDT); and KFSN-TV Fresno, May 8 (4 p.m. PDT).
“Asian Voices” delivers a unique approach of educating viewers with aggregated news segments that include featured reporting by ABC Owned Television Stations’ journalists in each owned market who dive deeper into the news segments and provide viewers with background, context and hope for what’s to come.
Examples of news stories featured in “Asian Voices” include the following:
“The Model Minority Myth”?segment provides historical context of harmful stereotypes ranging from the “model minority” myth to the hyper-sexualization of Asian women, manifesting in hate and inequity and resulting in violence. 6abc/WPVI-TV Philadelphia’s Nydia Han looks at how these damaging stereotypes have hurt the community and contributed to the recent increase of violence toward Asian Americans.
“Asian Americans in Poverty”?goes behind the stereotypes, from “Crazy Rich Asians” to the model minority myth. There’s a stereotype that all Asian Americans are excelling financially. However, in regions like New York, Asian Americans have one of the highest poverty rates. ABC7/WABC-TV’s CeFaan Kim takes a closer look at how some living below the poverty line are traveling hours to casinos to sell gambling credits they earn for the trip to make money to live.
“The Hmong Community”?news segment looks at the Fresno Hmong population, the country’s second-largest Hmong population in the U.S. behind St. Paul, Minn. ABC30/KFSN-TV Fresno reporter Linda Ha dives into the community to find out why. What drew the Hmong people to the Central Valley? Ha shares their stories, challenges and insight into how traditional clothing and food help keep their culture alive.
“The History of Reparations for Japanese Americans”?examines internment camps and the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II. ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles anchor David Ono shares with viewers the only recorded series of hearings where Japanese Americans shared their personal, heartbreaking stories of how being forced to live in internment camps during the war tore their families and lives apart. Their testimony led to reparations for Japanese Americans.
“Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Past and Future”?looks at the origin of why the heritage month was established. ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston reporter Miya Shay sheds light on why former president George W. Bush signed the bill and how his strong connections to China may have played a role in this decision.
”James Beard Award-winning Chef Beverly Kim”is a story of perseverance, hope and success. ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago anchor Judy Hsu follows the chef and restaurateur who co-owns the Michelin-starred Parachute restaurant in Chicago. Born and raised in Chicago as a Korean immigrants’ daughter, she shares her journey to becoming one of only 6% of women head chefs and owners in independent restaurants.
“Filipino Nurses and COVID-19”?unveil the contributions of Filipino Americans, one of the largest ethnic groups in the Bay Area region of Northern California, to healthcare service. Sadly, an estimated 30% of nurses who died of COVID-19 were from the Filipino American community. ABC7/KGO-TV’s Julian Glover looks at why so many from the community chose healthcare as a profession.
“Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Military”?takes viewers to Fort Bragg to experience the role and contribution of AAPI individuals in the military. Proportionally, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are overrepresented in the U.S. Army by 249%, compared to 43% of Blacks, 44% of whites and 53% of American Indians/Alaskan Natives. ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham’s Akilah Davis interviews a Samoan soldier to find out why and learn more about the culture.
The hour-long news special shares many other stories from the AAPI communities with viewers across the eight owned markets. Through detailed reports, ABC-Owned Station reporters successfully amplify the voices of Asian Americans.
Viewers can stream the news special on ABC Owned Television Stations’ free news apps: ABC7/WABC-TV New York, ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles, ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago, 6ABC/WPVI-TV Philadelphia, ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco, ABC13/KTRK-TV Houston, ABC11/WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham, and ABC30/KFSN-TV Fresno and connected TV Apps on streaming platforms Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Hulu.
“Our America: Asian Voices,” rebroadcasts the weekend of May 15-16 on WABC-TV New York, May 15 (7 p.m. EDT); KABC-TV Los Angeles, May 15 (8 p.m. PDT); WLS-TV Chicago, May 16 (4 p.m. CDT); WPVI-TV Philadelphia, May 15 (5 p.m. EDT); KGO-TV San Francisco, May 15 (8 p.m. PDT); KTRK-TV Houston, May 15 (11:30 p.m. CDT); WTVD-TV Raleigh Durham, May 16 (1 p.m. EDT); and KFSN-TV Fresno, May 15 (2 p.m. PDT).