Vincent Chin and a turning point in the Asian American Movement

Written by Deborah Lau-Yu

V  incent’s name and story is one that isn’t told enough: a young Chinese man beaten to death in Detroit due to anti-Japanese sentiment in 1982, just days before his wedding.  The killers apparently assumed Chin was of Japanese descent and are alleged to have used racial slurs as they attacked, as the Japanese were blamed for taking up jobs in the automotive sector at the time. He was chased down and beaten to death by Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, both who were never brought to justice for this cruel and racially-driven murder. They never spent a single day in jail. His murder and the outrage became a pivotal moment in the Asian American Movement. A case that shook the nation, and chilled the entire Asian community across North America, this case and the lack of accountability faced by the criminals and murderers did not set the example that was needed to quash Anti-Asian hate. As we have witnessed in 2021, Anti-Asian Racism is at a new peak, with violent acts popping up across America and Canada, and sadly, our very own Vancouver was recently identified as the city with the most incidents of racist attacks in North America. How do we change this narrative? Let us start by learning about the past and cases like Vincent’s so that we are educated for discussions and situations where we need to stand up against hatred.

Mark your calendars for May 26 and 27, because Reel Asian Film Festival is presenting a free screening and panel discussion of the rarely-shown Oscar-nominated documentary, Who Killed Vincent Chin?, by Renee Tajima-Pena and Christine Choy. The panel will include co-director Renee Tajima-Pena, filmmaker Yung Chang, and activist and educator Annie Tan, who is the cousin of Vincent Chin. They will discuss how the film and filmmaking can reflect and respond to moments and movements like this one. Please visit www.reelasian.com to register for this free event.

This season also marks the release of From a Whisper to A Rally Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trail that Galvanized the Asian American Movement, by Paula Yoo. Released just a month ago on April 20th, it is an important piece of literature that documents the murder, the trial, verdicts, and the reaction and action from the Asian American community. Be sure to pick up a copy to support this book!