THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT
2017 | Documentary | USA | 130 min
Directed by Ric Burns & Li Shin Yu
This powerful and wide-ranging documentary explores the origin and the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the only piece of American legislation ever to target an ethnic and racial group by name and deny them entry to the U.S. and access to citizenship. The infamous law remained in effect for more than fifty years, sanctioning multiple forms of defamation and discrimination documented here in examples of media carrying shocking racial caricatures and slurs, and extolling the superiority of the white race. Through an enlightening look at the cultural, social, economic, and political dimensions of the law, Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Burns and Yu create a film that strongly resonates with questions of immigration and citizenship today. DigiBeta video. (BS)