This month on WORLD, we spotlight new films and streaming stories that demonstrate the collective power of immigrants in America, people living with pride and uplifting others, and the enduring quest for racial, social and financial equity across our nation.
On June 13, WORLD recognizes Immigrant Heritage Month with a new America ReFramed film, Como Vivimos (How We Live), sharing the lives of migrant farmworkers in California as they strive for economic mobility and an education for their children.
Watch a Pride Month double feature on June 24 across two of our award-winning series: Local, USA and Stories from the Stage. The two new episodes unify the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community: American Problems, Trans Solutions elevates the stories of trans leaders generating change to protect Black transgender men and women, and Proud To Be features three stories of navigating an often intolerant world as our truest selves.
Plus, host a Juneteenth celebration with a watch party of one (or all) of the streaming films available in our Juneteenth Viewer’s Guide. The films explore America’s Black history, honor the leaders and everyday changemakers, and celebrate the freedoms, achievements and equality in Black communities.
WATCH LIVE
Living with Cancer | Stories from the Stage
June 3 on TV | Available now on YouTube
A cancer diagnosis changes our lives forever, marking the beginning of what can be a long and difficult fight. But with science, fortitude, and the love of others, people can – and do – survive. Despite losing her hair to chemo, Leslie Nguyen-Okwu finds beauty in her Blackness; Daniel G Garza and his partner use humor to cope with the challenges of caregiving; and Mel Mann fights the odds to overcome "terminal" leukemia and become a marathon runner.
From Here | America ReFramed
June 6 on TV, online, YouTube & the PBS app
“Where are you really from?” Inspired by a young generation’s creative response to this loaded question, FROM HERE follows artists and activists from immigrant families coming of age in an era of rising xenophobia and political turmoil. Set in New York and Berlin, the film shows them create families, fight for citizenship, make art and forge identities, while redefining what it means to belong. Watch a Meet the Makers event with the filmmakers and film subjects Tania Mattos and Sonny Singh.
NEW Into the Wild | Stories from the Stage
June 10 on TV, online & on the PBS app
When we venture beyond the familiar, we can transform the unexplored into a canvas of discovery. Avesha's love of the outdoors is instilled by her father; Antonio turns a chaotic whale-watching trip into a memorable family adventure; and Jenny chronicles her run across America and the community who made it possible.
NEW Como Vivimos (How We Live) | America ReFramed
June 13 on TV, online, YouTube & the PBS app
In California’s Central Valley, hundreds of Latinx youth miss months of school annually, because they live with their families in one of the state’s farmworker housing centers. These subsidized apartments require families to move out each winter and relocate at least 50 miles away before being allowed to return in the spring. These cycles of displacement come at a high cost to families’ futures.
Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts | A Local, USA Special
June 15 on TV, online & on the PBS app | Available on Apple TV+ and Prime Video
Established by Congress, the 14th Amendment promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men. They were denied due to Jim Crow laws but still served. The film examines the profound and often-contradictory roles played by Buffalo Soldiers in U.S. history, and how they fought on two sets of front lines: military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home.
In the Bubble with Jaime | Local, USA
June 17 on TV, online & the PBS app
In South Carolina, African American candidate Jaime Harrison faces incumbent Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate. As COVID-19 disrupts, Harrison confronts not only the pandemic but deep-rooted racial prejudice. But, in a state with a significant African American population, his campaign against Graham becomes a symbol of hope in a time of crisis, intertwining politics, and race and health challenges.
NEW Adventure Ahead | Stories from the Stage
June 17 on TV, online & on the PBS app
In the realm of the unknown, each adventure paves the way for revelation. Jynelle rediscovers the joys of adventure through her mother's eyes; a moment with Arctic terns redefines Mark’s understanding of perseverance; and Shannon steps up to the plate in a Beep Baseball showdown, where a rivalry ignites the field.
Jack & Yaya | America ReFramed
June 20 on TV, online & on the PBS app
From a young age, Yaya and Jack saw each other as they truly were, a girl and a boy, even though most of the world didn’t see them that way. As they grew older, they supported each other as they both came out as transgender. Follow these two friends for a year and explore their unique, 30-year relationship.
NEW American Problems, Trans Solutions | Local, USA
June 24 on TV, online, YouTube & on the PBS app
In the U.S., Black trans people are among the most marginalized of marginalized Americans. Award-winning journalist Imara Jones shares the stories of trans leaders Kayla Gore, Breonna McCree, and Oluchi Omeoga who, despite the record-breaking number of anti-trans bills passed in 2023, are addressing critical issues surrounding economic empowerment and human dignity with heart and vision. Presented in partnership with Chasing the Dream, a WNET initiative, and TransLash Media.
NEW Proud to Be | Stories from the Stage
June 24 on TV, online & on the PBS app
To embrace PRIDE, you often need to define yourself in your own way. Srilatha's world turned upside down when she discovered the hidden 'A' in LGBTQI_+; queer stage and film director Kevin receives a time capsule gift from their late grandfather; and Jamie takes us on a 20-year journey of transition and self-love.
Vision Portraits | America ReFramed
June 27 on TV, online & on the PBS app
Acclaimed director Rodney Evans takes viewers on a personal journey as he ponders how the deterioration of his vision will impact his life and work as a filmmaker. Interviewing blind and low vision artists - a photographer, a dancer and a writer - Evans embarks on a quest to learn how other artists have continued to create art and how their journeys might serve as inspiration for his own.
WATCH ONLINE
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones D-Man in the Waters | AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange
June 14 on TV | Available on YouTube
Filmmakers Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz trace the history and legacy of choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’ ballet, “D-Man in the Waters.” Emerging in the age of AIDS, the 1989 ballet gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that Jones and colleagues experienced as AIDS took the life of their beloved co-founder Arnie Zane and other troupe members. Winner of the Peabody Award.
The Cost of Inheritance: An America ReFramed Special
June 19 on TV | Available now online and on the PBS app, Apple TV+ & Prime Video through 2031
THE COST OF INHERITANCE, an America ReFramed special, explores the complex issue of reparations in the U.S. using a thoughtful approach to history, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue on racial conciliation. Through personal narratives, community inquiries, and scholarly insights, it aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate. Watch a Meet the Makers conversation now on YouTube.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America ReFramed Special
Available on PBS Passport, Apple TV+ & Prime Video
Fannie Lou Hamer's America is a portrait of a civil rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential. Through public speeches, personal interviews, and powerful songs of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist, Fannie Lou Hamer's America explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders. Watch a conversation with the filmmakers, including Fannie Lou Hamer's great-niece Monica Land, author Dr. Keisha N. Blain and actress Aunjanue Ellis.
The Lookout | Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond
Available online, on YouTube & on the PBS app
As a young refugee, Chanthon Bun joined a gang; he was convicted of second-degree robbery at 19 and lost legal protection to live in the U.S. After two decades in prison, Bun was released but not into the custody of ICE by a strange twist of luck. But he knows he must tread carefully as he attempts to legally reintegrate – if ICE were to locate him, he would be detained and slated for deportation. Watch a discussion about the immigrant experience in America featuring Chanthon Bun.
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