MY AMERICA . . . OR HONK IF YOU LOVE BUDDHA (TV)
Summary
This documentary shares the world of Renee
Tajima-Pena, a Japanese-American woman, and her
search for identity. Tajima-Pena describes her thoughts
and feelings in a voice-over narration as she drives
across the country, stopping in various cities to talk
to Asian immigrants about the place they have found for
themselves in America. Her first stop is San Francisco,
where she meets actor Victor Wong. Wong, the son of
Chinese immigrants, describes different phases of his
life and the circumstance of being Chinese in America.
Tajima-Pena travels on to New York City's Chinatown,
where the work ethic of Mr. Choy astounds her. Choy,
also Chinese, works four different jobs. To
Tajima-Pena, he embodies the immigrant dream of
working hard in the United States in the hope of one day
returning home -- a dream that is rarely fulfilled.
Next, Tajima-Pena visits the Filipino community in New
Orleans. Some of these Filipinos have been in the
United States for eight generations, viewers learn.
Tajima-Pena talks to Filipinas about interracial dating
and their experiences as Asian women living in America.
She then joins some friends on a visit to Mississippi,
where she contemplates the civil-rights movement,
including legislative measures that improved the lives
of Asian Americans. Next, the program returns to
Chicago, where Tajima-Pena grew up. She describes her
personal background, explaining that she was raised by
All-American parents who urged her "to just blend in."
After the family moved to California, Tajima-Pena says,
she became a rebel. She recalls that, after her
high-school history teacher denied the existence of
Japanese internment camps, a fire lit inside her, and
she realized that she had to fight back; this was the
beginning of her work as an activist, she explains.
Tajima-Pena continues her road trip in Duluth, where a
Laotian family makes the filmmaker feel embarrassed
about her quest for self-identity; the Laotians are
struggling just to survive. Several of the people
Tajima-Pena has interviewed discuss the grouping by
Americans of all Asians into one group, often
characterized as an enemy. Tajima-Pena realizes, "I
began this journey searching for what it means to be an
Asian American. I realize now at the same time I'm
searching for America . . . my America." Her next stop
is Seattle, where two young rap musicians talk about
their Korean background and their music. They also
perform briefly. In Anaheim, California, the filmmaker
attends a Chinese-American debutante ball, where
several parents are interviewed about their daughters'
achievements. Later, Tajima-Pena brings up the fact
that although the girls' escorts are required to be
Chinese many of the young women have non-Chinese
boyfriends. The issue of interracial dating is
discussed among the debutantes. Finally, Tajima-Pena
interviews a Korean woman who is heavily involved in
Asian activism. The woman talks about her family and
her cause. The program closes as Tajima-Pena shares
more details about her own family and her conclusions
about what it means to be Asian American. This program
is closed-captioned.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 30, 1996
- RUNNING TIME: 1:27:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:65353
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Asian Americans
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Renee Tajima-Pena … Producer, Director, Writer
- Quynh Thai … Producer
- Jennifer Kato … Associate Producer
- Jon Jang … Composer, Original music composed by
- Renee Tajima-Pena
- Victor Wong