How one event in history can ripple through generations of a family

Content Warning: This episode contains racial slurs and discusses police brutality.

This week we're bringing you the first episode in a new series called Inheriting, created in collaboration with our friends at LAist Studios. In each episode, NPR's Emily Kwong sits down with Asian American and Pacific Islander families and explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities.

Episode 1: Carol & the Los Angeles Uprising

Carol Kwang Park was 12-years-old, working as a cashier at her family's gas station in Compton, California, when the 1992 L.A. Uprising forever changed her life.

Her mom was at the gas station that day and Carol was unsure if she'd even make it home. At the time, she didn't understand why tensions came to a head in Los Angeles, following the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King. She also never understood why her mother insisted on keeping the business going, especially after the Uprising.

Inheriting is hosted by Emily Kwong. This episode was originally produced by Minju Park and Anjuli Sastry Krbechek. It was edited by Sara Sarasohn and Catherine Mailhouse. Our engineer was Gilly Moon.