Wayne State University Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association will welcome filmmaker Curtis Chin on Thursday, April 5 for a screening of his documentary film on the 1982 slaying of Vincent Chin.
The event, held from 6-8 p.m. in the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium, is being co-sponsored by the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.
Chin will screen his documentary film Vincent Who?, winner of the 2009 National Association for Multicultural Education Media Award. Following the screening, Chin will answer questions from the audience.
The event, which is free and open to the public, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the death of Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American beaten to death outside a fast food restaurant in Highland Park, by two unemployed auto workers.
Witnesses heard the attackers blaming Asians for the loss of their jobs.
The murder generated public outrage over the lenient sentencing the two men originally received in a plea bargain.
The case became a rallying point for the Asian American community.
“The murder of Vincent Chin was a national tragedy that highlighted the problem of hate crimes and discrimination against the Asian American Community,” says Peter Hammer, professor of law and director of the Keith Center. “The 30 year anniversary of the incident provides an opportunity to reexamine these issues.”
“As we commemorate the tragic death of Vincent Chin, we can celebrate the strides that not only the state of Michigan has taken in cultural equality, but the United States as a whole,” says Kyle Kamidoi, president of the Wayne Law Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
He said the city of Detroit was the “epicenter for the Asian Pacific American equality movement, and that is something this city takes pride in.
“Although the APA community still faces racial obstacles today, Vincent Who? shows the successes of the past and gives continued hope for the future,” Kamidoi said.
Curtis Chin is an award-winning writer and producer. As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
In 2008, he served on Barack Obama's Asian American Leadership Council, where he participated in helping the campaign reach out to the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Newsweek and other media outlets.
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