Because when it’s personal, everyone is an activist.
Perhaps I never mentioned it, but I was 8 years old when this happened. Yes, I grew up in the Detroit area. In fact, my cousin at one point dated Vincent. Her brothers were good friends with him and his family. I was young, naive, and sheltered so didn’t understand the significance of the events at the time. I just knew that to look like we did, in Detroit, in the 80s, could be very very dangerous.
Events commemorate 20 th anniversary of Vincent Chin murder
Race-based murder against Vincent Chin in 1982 sparked modern Asian American activist movement
SAN FRANCISCO � (June 5, 2002) � Asian Improv aRts (AIR) leads a coalition of Bay Area Asian American non-profit organizations in sponsoring �Remembering Vincent Chin � 20 Years Later,� which includes a June 20 documentary screening and a June 21 concert to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin, the victim of a hate crime perpetrated by two men who never served a day in jail.
The coalition also launched a Web site (http://www.vincentchin.net) to provide information on Chin�s murder, the Bay Area events and links to events in other cities. (Note to Editors: See listing of events held in other cities below.)
On June 19, 1982, former autoworkers Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz mortally beat Chin, then a 27- year-old Chinese American, out of hatred for the Japanese � who were blamed for the recession in the American auto industry. Ebens and Nitz, who thought Chin was of Japanese ancestry, both pleaded guilty for killing Chin and were sentenced to three years probation and a fine of $3,780
Ebens and Nitz never served a jail sentence for killing a man who was nine days away from his wedding.
Asian Improv aRts, Third Thursdays, Institute for MultiRacial Justice, National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), Chinatown Community Development Center, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), Clarion Music Center and Jon Jang Performances are sponsoring two events to commemorate Chin�s death and its affect on Asian America.
A free screening of the Academy Award-nominated film �Who Killed Vincent Chin?� by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima will be held on June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center on 1840 Sutter Street. Helen Zia, Mabel Teng, Norman Fong and Victor Hwang will participate in a panel after the screening. Visit http://www.thirdthurdays.org or call (415) 353-5732 to RSVP. Pianist Jon Jang will perform in the �20 th Anniversary Commemorative Concert for Vincent Chin� on June 21 at 8 p.m. at Clarion Music Center on 816 Sacramento Street. Tickets may be purchased for $15 by calling (415) 391-1317.
Asian Improv aRts has launched VincentChin.net to provide detailed information about these and other events held around the country. The Web site also contains an in-depth background on Chin�s murder and its effect on the national Asian American community.
Commemorative events held across the nation