Name of Event: Vincent Who? – Documentary Film Screening
Organizer & Location: A/P/A Institute and CMEP at NYU | 19 University Place
Hours: 6-8pm
Reflection:
This documentary examines the impact of the death of Vincent Chin on the Asian American community back in 1982. Autoworkers Ronald Ebens and stepson Michael Nitz were out of work due to the rising Japanese auto industry. Upset by this, the kill Chin with a baseball bat after mistakenly calling him “Jap.” The purpose of this documentary was to remind this new generation of Asian Americans the importance of remembering Vincent Chin. The producers and director wanted this film to serve as a catalyst for young people to talk and do something about issues such as hate crime. The film gave a brief history on the case of Vicent Chin and featured past and current activists like Helen Zia. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the producer of the film, Curtis Chin.
To be honest, I was like many of the young people at the beginning of the documentary who had never heard of the Vincent Chin case. Oddly enough, this semester I have been exposed to many social injustices, both global and local issues. And because of this exposure, I’ve been feeling this sense of guilt for never being aware of what was happening in this world I live in. This documentary just reminded me again of how much happens everyday and how important it is to be aware and to be active. As a future teacher, I want my students to also realize the importance of standing up and fight for what they believe is just.
What’s great about this film is that although it is focused on the Asian American community, it brings up so many issues that can be discussed amongst any community. Hate crimes, unfortunately, still happen today. And it’s important to educate our students and help them to see it requires activism and our involvement. Towards the end of the evening, Curtis Chin was talking about what makes you an activist. He was saying how when he asks groups of people this question, very few raise their hands. He would then explain that even an act such as recycling or forwarding an email makes you an activist. You don’t have to do a lot to be an activist, but you do have to do SOMETHING. And that’s something I want my students to know. They’re not too young to take action.
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1 comment:
To be honest, I have never heard of the Vicent Chin’s case. I feel ashamed too about not knowing this case and how this became a big impact of Asians living back in 1980s. I feel that it’s unfair and injustice to treat someone so brutal. I agree that this is an issue that should be taught in school, because immigration topic was very lightly touched in my schooling years. My teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools focused too heavily on slavery—which I think it’s an important issue to be taught, but it seems like my teachers didn’t focus too much on the immigration topic. Therefore, both issues impacted who we are as a nation and it should be focused deeply in schools.
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