Vincent Who?

Last Night I went to the screening of Vincent Who?, a documentary film produced by Curtis Chin. It was shown at NYU and hosted by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute and the Center for Multicultural Education & Programs. The event consisted of a brief introduction, a screening of the film, and a Q&A session all of which took about two hours. 

This documentary was about a young man, Vincent Chin, who was killed in the early 80's as a result of a hate crime. Two White men were at a bar disgruntled by their poor working situation and scapegoating the influx of Japanese immigrants for their troubles. As a result, they decided to brutally beat Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, with a bat to soothe their anxieties. These two men, after a couple of trials, found themselves doing just dandy with all charges dropped and not spending A SINGLE DAY IN JAIL! Vincent Chin's last words are believed to be "It's not fair." and he could not have been more right.

This incident was one of the first among the Asian American community to incite such a riot. In fact it was the first time Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, & Indian Americans among others banded together under the title ASIANS AMERICANS. No longer was the Asian population sitting back and trying to assimilate. They were enraged and took to the streets showing America that they too had a voice and were going to use it!

Another theme of the film was the idea that race relations in the US are a black/white issue. From seeing this film I now know that it is so much deeper than that. Especially in the light of Prop 8, I can se how certain groups have a much louder voice and get much more attention from the public. One person in the film acknowledged that communities such as the Black community, the Gay and Lesbian Community and to a growing extent the Latino COmmunity have been much more vocal at the injustices seen in their communities. Too often, it is argued, does the Asian population sit back and take it trying to appease the America that is rejecting them. 

I found this point to be so eye opening. It reminded me of the Model Minority article we read. The Asians in our class can often become looked over because they sit quietly and do their work and too often does the teacher assume that they are doing ok. This is something we need to be ever aware of as an educator. Our students need to learn they have a voice and they can use it in our class. However, I find this difficult when their home culture may teach them otherwise. It is a paradox that teachers must acknowledge. We can not push our Asian American students to be vocal if their family culture tells them otherwise, but we need to find other ways to access their emotions and know what's going on with them.