Kalamazoo Times

The City of Detroit recently announced that it will partner with a coalition of local and national groups to commemorate the upcoming 40th Anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin.

According to a press release, the coalition plans a four-day remembrance in June to recognize the Asian American Civil Rights Movement that was ignited with the Chin Murder case in 1982. The anniversary of Chin's death occurs during a period of present-day of anti-Asian sentiment and violent attacks on Asians in America are on the rise.

“The horrific beating death of Vincent Chin in 1982 on the eve of his bachelor party led to a landmark civil rights movement led by Asian Americans,” Helen Zia, executor of the Vincent and Lily Chin Estate and a co-founder of American Citizens for Justice (ACJ) said, according to the press release. “The present-day wave of anti-Asian hate violence has rekindled awareness of Vincent’s legacy. Our hope is that these events will engage present and future generations in the commitment to social justice and the fight against racism and hate.”

The commemoration will take place June 16-19, 2022 and feature a national conversation on democracy and racial justice, community dialogues, the commissioning of new murals in old Chinatown, cultural and performing arts experiences and a series of films commemorating Vincent Chin's murder.

“We must never forget Vincent Chin. But as important, we must not ignore what is happening across America today, the crimes against persons because of their race and culture,” Rochelle Riley, Director of Arts and Culture for the City said, according to the press release. “Anything that reminds us of our shared humanity is a welcome exercise right now. This commemoration is not just a remembrance of a moment of injustice, but a pledge to ensure that it never happens again.”

“It also is a chance for us to get better acquainted with the creative and cultural brilliance of our Asian American fellow citizens,” Riley added. “This entire series of events is going to be uplifting and groundbreaking.”

Organizers for the event include the Vincent and Lily Chin Estate; the ACJ; the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the City of Detroit Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship (ACE). The event is also being sponsored by the Kresge Foundation.

“Detroit has been a major focus of the long-road struggle for a just America for all,” Wendy Lewis Jackson, Managing Director of Kresge’s Detroit Program said, according to the press release. “The Kresge Foundation is honored to support this milestone of the Asian American Civil Rights movement in the aftermath of Vincent Chin’s murder. We look forward to public education, essential conversations, and rededication to our collective stand against hate and violence.”

According to Wikipedia, Vincent Jen Chin was a Chinese American who was beaten to death in a racially motivated hate crime by two white men on June 23, 1982. The men were charged with manslaughter and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and serve three years' probation, with no jail time. The case caused massive public outcry and served to launch Asian American civil rights engagement and led to calls for stronger federal hate crime legislation.