Honor and Duty: The Mississippi Delta Chinese

The film tells the story of the early Chinese immigrants to the Mississippi Delta during the 19th century; then it explores how the community steadily grew in the early part of the 20th century, as Chinese families across the Delta opened grocery stores that served both the black and white populations. Subsequently, it reveals how 182 Chinese men from the Delta participated in all aspects of the US war effort in WWII, shows the transformational nature of their participation in the war for the development of the community in the decades immediately after the war, and concludes by documenting the contributions of the Chinese Delta families to the state of Mississippi and beyond as their children became doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and many other types of professionals in the contemporary era.

The film’s importance arises not only from its focus on an almost unknown Chinese community in the heart of the Deep South, but also from what it reveals about the immigrant experience in America. It can certainly invites discussion of some of the issues engaging the US currently.