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As a holiday that celebrates the birth of America, the fourth of July tends to be more about day drinking, hanging out by the pool, and wearing the American flag in any way possible than being about what it means to be American. America is a melting pot of rich cultures from all over the world, most of which are overlooked in “American Classics,” featuring straight, white cis-gender protagonists and racial stereotypes of anyone that isn’t white. I think the best way to celebrate America is to put yourself into the shoes of someone that isn’t typically thought of when you think “American,” or at least get a glimpse into their lives. To help you get started, here are ten movies and tv shows.
1. Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2020, A24)
The Yi Family moves from Korea to rural Arkansas to search “The American Dream” by starting a farm. While the parents spend their days working in a hatchery and struggling to maintain the farm, the film focuses on the relationship between the grandmother and one of the two kids, David.
While the grandmother doesn’t speak a lick of English, David wants nothing more than to have a “normal grandma.” The two characters portray the difficulties immigrant families face in assimilating to American life while attempting to keep some semblance of their heritage through their strained attempt to spend time together and eventual kinship.
Minari is available to rent on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
2. High On The Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America (2021)
This four-episode limited series follows food writer Stephen Satterfield as he traces American food staples back to their African roots. Starting his journey in Benin, Africa, and ending in Texas, USA, Satterfield learns how black cuisine was brought to America with enslaved men and women and has since shaped the American culinary world as we know it.
High on the Hog is guaranteed to be deliciously educational. Who knows, maybe some of these foods can be found on your plate this Fourth of July.
High on the Hog is available on Netflix.
3. On My Block (2018-)
Just renewed for its fourth and final season, On My Block follows a group of inner-city teens from Los Angeles dealing with race and class issues on top of the typical woes of high school. Hearing gunshots on the daily, the temptation of joining one of the local gangs, and getting good grades are the types of issues the kids face throughout the series.
While the show has plenty of laughable moments, the heart of the show lies in the seriousness that the lives of these teens are endangered and disproportionately disadvantaged due to the color of their skin and the amount of money their families have, an all too common issue here in America.
On My Block is available on Netflix.
4. Never Have I Ever (2020-)
A light-hearted and quirky series centered around a first-generation Indian-American teenager named Devi. While working through the trauma of the untimely death of her father, Devi is trying to navigate American teenage life as the daughter of Indian immigrant parents.
She tends to be annoyed by her heritage and the duties that come with it, but at the end of the day staying connected to her heritage also means staying connected to the memory of her father.
Never Have I Ever is available on Netflix.
5. Pose (2018-2021)
Condragulations, not only is this series visually pleasing; it’s illuminating on the black and brown queer experience in the ’80s. Black trans women are the most marginalized community in America, and this show gives a glimpse into the life of a few of its members.
Pose may be full of glitter, glamour, and good times, but it also showcases the brutal hate, harassment, and discrimination queer people faced in the ’80s and still face today in the US.
Pose is available on FX and Netflix.
6. The Half Of It (Alice Wu, 2021, Netflix Entertainment)
Ellie Chu was born in China and raised in the fictitious Pacific-North West town of Squahamish by her widowed father. Often referred to as “the Chinese girl” and thought of as an outcast, Ellie is single-handedly keeping half of her class’s grades afloat by ghostwriting all of their papers.
As she navigates her sexuality, school bullies, an awkward relationship with her culturally stubborn father, and a newfound friendship, Ellie tries to find a balance between being who she wants to be and being the person she thinks she’s supposed to be.
The Half of It is available on Netflix.
7. McFarland (Niki Caro, 2015, Walt Disney Studios)
Based on a true story, McFarland shows such a raw picture of what many first-generation Mexican American youths go through. Waking up at the crack of dawn to work in the fields and dusting off before heading to school, these kids are more than busy.
They deal with the pressure of being the person to do better than the generation before by going off to college while still needing to be a provider for the family, a reality very well known to many immigrant families.
McFarland is available on Disney+.
8. Master Of None, Season 3 (2021)
Unlike the past two seasons, season three of Master of None focuses on the characters Denise and Alice as they embark on the journey of parenthood. As lesbian black women, a journey is proving to be far more difficult than they expected. Countless doctor appointments, arguments, and feelings of self-doubt, Denise and Alice are thrown into uncertainty about their future as parents and as a couple.
This season shines a light on the hardships of being a lesbian couple attempting to conceive in a healthcare system that so often favors straight, white, cis-gender couples. The raw and honest emotions portrayed by these two characters are rooted in truth and the real pain queer couples face in this country every day, not just on the Fourth of July.
Master of None, Season 3 is available on Netflix.
9. The Farewell (Lulu Wang, 2019, A24)
A grown adult thrown back into the feeling of being a kid under her parent’s control again, Billi is forced to keep a terminal cancer diagnosis from her grandmother (Nai Nai). In American culture, life is very much about individualism. In Chinese culture, the collective good is more valued. For this reason, Billi’s parents find every way to avoid telling Nai Nai about her results, including using a family wedding as an excuse for everyone to see Nai Nai “one last time.”
Billi’s internal fight to break from her learned American instincts to tell Nai Nai the truth captures the debate many children of immigrants deal with: deciding between their new culture and their born heritage.
The Farewell is available to rent on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
10. Generation (2021-)
Following a group of Gen Z teens, Generation delves into the life and troubles of today’s youth. Each character brings their own set of issues: sexual identity, race issues, conservative parents, challenging traditional cultural values, teen pregnancy, relationships, social media, and just trying to grow up.
The series takes the complex struggles of the average Gen Z teen and presents it in a series filled with loveable characters, raw emotion, and plenty of funny, awkward moments.
Generation is available on HBO Max.
Don’t Just Love Thy Neighbor, Get To Know Them
If there is something to be gathered from the shows and movies from this list, it’s that America is made up of a multitude of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and identities, so why not celebrate those differences? Even if it’s only for thirty minutes to an hour, trying to understand those who are different than you and appreciating them for who they are is the most American thing anyone can do this fourth of July.