On Monday, June 23 at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, we remembered and honored Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who was murdered in Detroit on June 23, 1982, in an act of anti-Asian violence.
Forty-three years later, it is important to acknowledge this hate crime and the injustice that occurred when the two white men who murdered him were acquitted. It is imperative to remember this, but even more so, it is vital that we remember Vincent Chin as a son, a fiancé, a friend, a human being. It’s crucial that we remember the pain that it caused his loved ones, particularly his mother, Lily Chin. And we must remember how she fought this racist system with her whole being, seeking justice for her son and galvanizing cross-cultural community-building in Detroit and across the country.
In her book Asian American Dreams, journalist and activist Helen Zia recounts how the Chinese American community hesitated to mobilize in protest of Vincent’s murder. At a meeting with the Detroit Chinese Welfare Council, Zia quotes Lily Chin as saying, “We must speak up. These men killed my son like an animal. But they go free. This is wrong. We must tell the people, this is wrong” (65).
I was honored and proud to stand in community with so many amazing speakers, artists, and activists this past Monday, each in their own ways standing up and declaring, “This is wrong”—Aki Maehara, Jose Z. Calderon, Robin Toma, arianna lady bosco, MaJIK, Ashley C. Lanuza, MADIMA, Taz Ahmed, and jason chu. Our voices resounding over the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, CAM Board Chair Dr. Gay Yuen led us in remembering this as the site of historic Chinatown in LA where the massacre of at least 18 Chinese immigrants occurred in 1871. It is also the birthplace of Los Angeles in 1781. And so we remembered through storytelling, poetry, rap, and song.
Deep gratitude to Dr. Yuen; Michael Truong, Executive Director of CAM; and Cibella Gamma, CAM’s Public Programs Manager. I am humbled to have been part of such a meaningful event.
