Vincent Who?

Event Sponsor: The Center for Multicultural Education and Programs at NYU with Asian/Pacific/American Institute

Event Location: NYU, 19 University Place

Event Time: Friday, November 21, 2008

Reflection: Many racial/ethnic groups in America, and even around the world, tend to have an important figure or event that brings them closer together. For African Americans, stories of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., tighten and inspire their community. For Jews, memories of the Holocaust strengthen bonds between members of the same faith. And for Asian Americans, the story of Vincent Chin, has fostered solidarity amongst immigrants from diverse countries sharing the same continent of origin.
Vincent Chin was a young Chinese-American man who, in 1982, was brutally beaten to death by two Caucasian autoworkers. These workers noticed Chin in a Detroit bar, where he was celebrating his engagement and approaching wedding. They did not know him personally, yet began insulting him, calling him “Jap,” before chasing him outside and beating him with a baseball bat. This crime, mainly catalyzed by the two perpetrators’ agitation with the many lay-offs in the automotive industry, due to American-Japanese market share, was a blatant hate crime. However, neither man served any time in jail for what they committed.
This event made a tremendous impact on the Asian American community, really bringing a multitude of cultures together to shed light on racism between their communities and other American communities. It was one of the first events that inspired activism in the Asian American community, as well as encouraged Asian Americans to identify themselves under that umbrella term.
The film, “Vincent Who?,” was created to increase awareness of both the event and the Asian American Movement. The film both details the event and shows interviews with prominent Asian Americans regarding their perspectives of the event and its impact on Asian Americans today. According to the filmmaker, Curtis Chin, the two main goals for the film, in terms of its impact on its audience, were “realizing the similarities amongst cultures and forming coalitions/bonds.”
As audience members shared their feedback, and asked questions, it seems as if Curtis Chin is achieving these goals. One audience member asked how he plans on continuing to “get the word out.” That was an excellent question, and one that particularly interested me as an educator. The more students are exposed to films such as these, the more they become connected to the world outside the classroom walls. I am certain that some students come to school today feeling the way Vincent Chin did when the two men were making racist remarks to him. Children are becoming increasingly exposed to injustices in many forms, and oftentimes we hear hurtful language being used in the hallways, whether or not children understand what they are saying. By educating students that this type of language is wrong, and can even be fatal, we are increasing their awareness of how their actions now shape their future actions. If schools strive to teach through a social justice lens, they will create a more open and safe school environment as students take responsibility as advocates for a more just world.