This year, June 23rd marks the 29th anniversary of the death of Vincent Chin, a young Chinese American man who fell victim to a hate crime at the hands of two white men in Detroit, MI. Chin's death galvanized Asian American activists across the country in the 1980s and the legacy of the struggle to bring Chin's murderers to justice still resonates in social justice movements today. Emil Guillermo recently blogged about his reflections on Vincent Chin as another anniversary approaches, which the writer acknowledged this year by calling Ronald Ebens -- the man who killed Chin and served no prison time -- on the phone.
In recognition of the 29th anniversary, Curtis Chin and the team behind the documentary film Vincent Who? have partnered up with Asian Pacific Americans for Progress to offer free viewings of the film in its entirety through the month of July at Vincentwhomovie.com. The film was "inspired by a series of townhalls organized by the non-profit Asian Pacific Americans for Progress on the 25th Anniversary of the case, features interviews with key players at the time, as well as a whole new generation of activists. Vincent Who? asks how far Asian Americans have come since then and how far we have yet to go." Interviewees include Vincent's mother Lily Chin, Helen Zia, Frank Wu, Angela Oh, Renee Tajima-Pena and bloggers Phil Yu and Tanzila Ahmed.
The website also features an up-to-date touring schedule for 2011-2012 (including a screening at the upcoming Japanese American Citizens League's annual conference in Los Angeles on July 8), research materials on the case, and V. Chin t-shirts that can be ordered through the good folks at blacklava.
Comments