Taking Root is a community-produced documentary series that amplifies the untold stories of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugee Philadelphians who resettled in the city after the U.S. Wars in Southeast Asia (commonly known as the “Vietnam War." Through 12 firsthand accounts, the series explores how imperialist violence shaped intergenerational trauma—and presents a powerful narrative of political transformation within Southeast Asian refugee communities.
Told over four episodes, the series unpacks the refugee experience, providing critical historical context for Southeast Asians in the U.S. while mobilizing present and future generations to engage in racial and economic justice. Taking Root challenges the erasure of Southeast Asian refugee histories and positions these communities as agents of change in Philadelphia.
Episode 1: Southeast Asian Stories of Resettlement in Philadelphia
This episode mourns the homelands destroyed by U.S. militarism, showing the lasting devastation of Agent Orange and undetonated bombs in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It follows the long journey from refugee camps to the United States, where Southeast Asian refugees arrived in poverty-stricken Philadelphia. Resettled in dilapidated housing and exploited in low-wage industries, many relied on welfare to survive, facing economic hardship and systemic neglect. Refugees faced racism, economic hardship, and language barriers while resettlement policies—framed as humanitarian—failed to provide real support. Yet, they organized for better housing, laying the foundation for future movement building.
Episode 2: A Failed Resettlement System
Xenophobia, fueled by racist media coverage, shaped public perceptions of Southeast Asian refugees. Anti-Black resettlement policies placed them in disinvested Black neighborhoods, exacerbating racial tensions. These racial divisions left many refugees vulnerable to bullying and violence in schools and neighborhoods, leading to the rise of Southeast Asian gangs as means of self-defense. While Southeast Asian Philadelphians benefited from anti-Black institutional practices, they were also harmed by them—especially through the school-to-prison pipeline. Law enforcement targeted Southeast Asian youth as gang members as part of the rise of mass incarceration and immigrant detentions and deportations. Today, Southeast Asian refugees are three times more likely than other immigrants to be deported due to old convictions. This episode also traces the early grassroots movement to resist criminalization and deportation.
Episode 3: Rebuilding Our Home
In response to a failed resettlement system, Southeast Asian communities built their own institutions to survive. This episode highlights Philadelphia’s Southeast Asian Market in FDR Park, temples, and gardens where Southeast Asian refugees cultivated cultural foods and practiced self-determined land stewardship—a legacy of their agrarian ancestors. These spaces not only provided food and economic security but also became sites of cultural preservation, intergenerational connection, and resilience.
Episode 4: Taking Root on Washington Ave
Southeast Asian communities built economic hubs that provided jobs and belonging. Washington Avenue, a vital economic and cultural corridor for Black, Latine, and SEA Philadelphians, now faces gentrification and its South Philly residents face displacement. This episode focuses on community organizing efforts to protect 1600 Washington, the first Southeast Asian plaza in the Tri-State area. Grounded in the histories of military displacement, redlining, and predatory development, this culminating episode is a rallying cry for cross-racial and cross-class solidarity, urging Southeast Asian communities to build collective power and fight for community control over land.
