'Far East Deep South' To Broadcast on World Channel May 4

Far East Deep South will premiere on the World Channel's series America ReFramed Tuesday, May 4 at 8 p.m. ET in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout the month of May. The special will be available to stream on WORLDChannel.org, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. World Channel is part of PBS's lineup.

Charles Chiu in Far East Deep South learns about the impact of Jim Crow laws on the Chinese community at the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum in Cleveland, MS.

Charles Chiu in Far East Deep South learns about the impact of Jim Crow laws on the Chinese community at the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum in Cleveland, MS. (Image credit: WORLD Channel)

The documentary tells the story of Charles Chiu who moves from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, R.C. Lou, with his sons, Baldwin Chiu and Edwin Chiu and daughter-in-law Larissa Lam. Baldwin produced the documentary and Lam directed. 

Through encounters with local residents who remember K.C., as well as interviews with historians, Rep. Judy Chu of California’s 27th district and others, the family’s trip leads to revelations and the parallels between Southern Black and Chinese communities during the Jim Crow era. 

“As Asians living in America, we wrestle with our identity and sense of belonging no matter how long our families have been here,” said Lam. “Our struggles and contributions have been a significant part of American history yet have been largely invisible in media and rarely taught in schools...That is largely why I felt compelled to make this film. After seeing our film, I hope more people realize Asian American families have a long legacy in this country. I also hope that American history lessons will be more inclusive of the Asian American experience, especially as it pertains to learning about the American South.”

“I'm deeply saddened and angered by the racism we’re seeing today against Asians in this country,” said Baldwin Chiu. “My family has been in the U.S. for generations and yet I’m often treated as someone who is not American. Our film clearly shows we are American and we really want everyone in America to finally embrace that.”  

Chelsea Anderson
Assistant Content Producer

Chelsea Anderson has been with Future for two years. She started as an intern with NewBay Media/Multichannel News in 2015. During her time she wrote bylined articles and program reviews as well as helped with research graphics for the magazine. She later became News Assistant for Broadcasting & Cable in 2017 until 2020 when she became Assistant Content Producer. Chelsea graduated from Niagara University in 2016 with a Bachelor's in Communication Studies and a double minor in Writing Studies and Sociology.