Just to start, you can reflect on the Vincent Chin case — its legacy, its relevance to today’s civil rights climate. In the broader view, the Vincent Chin case continues to be relevant as many of the economic factors and conditions of 1982 exist today as America competes in a globalized economy. A discourse on the case can lead to a wider public discourse and an examination among APA brothers and sisters about the condition of APA civil rights.

Are we better off in terms of understanding race relations and achieving tolerance than the time of Vincent Chin death 26 years ago?

If you struggle with the answer to that question, or if you are unfamiliar with the case’s background, issues and historic importance to the Asian American movement, take the opportunity to see the movie “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” by Renee Tajima Pena and Christine Choy, and the upcoming film “Vincent Who?” by Tony Lam — coming to a venue near you this year.

“Fallout Central” (www.falloutcentral.com) is an online space designed to inform, spur dialogue and mobilize Asian Americans against the racism and prejudices facing Asian Americans in this country and beyond. Their goal is progressive social change through education, organized action and other non-violent means and methods.

We’d like to extend our gratitude to the team at “Fallout Central,” especially Albert Lim and William Lee, for inviting us to be on their show.

Apparently, Balbir had been “mistaken” for being a person of Middle Eastern ethnicity, just like Vincent Chin was a Chinese American who was “mistaken” for being Japanese.  However, we need to be careful when using terms like “mistaken identity,” because they create an “us” and “them” mentality.

For example, during the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, some Chinese Americans wore a button that stated:  “I’m Chinese, not a Jap.”  In other words, “target them, don’t target us.”  What happened in the Vincent Chin case is that Asian Americans awakened to the fact that making such ethnic separations is ultimately self-defeating.

It didn’t matter whether Vincent Chin was Chinese or Japanese.  He was Asian, and that made him the target of a brutal murder.  He was Asian, and that made his life less valuable in the eyes of the judge who let off his murderers with no jail time.  The different Asian ethnic enclaves back then realized they had to unite together as an “Asian American” community to have any hope of achieving racial justice for each and every person of Asian descent in America.

That lesson learned was again demonstrated in the aftermath of September 11, when the Japanese American community (drawing from the violation of their civil rights during WWII) came out in support of Arab Americans and South Asians when their civil liberties came under threat.

Our strongest defense against “mistaken identity” hate crimes is to unite with other communities against all hate crimes, regardless of ethnic identity.

Tony Lam

On April 19, our documentary had a special screening at the 13th annual Asian American Showcase in Chicago.  I want to take this chance to especially thank Tim Hugh, the festival director, who believed in the importance of our film’s subject matter and went beyond the call of duty to ensure it received a venue to be seen.  Tim has been an ardent supporter of Asian American films and filmmakers, and I feel very privileged that he took our film under his wing.

VINCENT WHO? also received an unscheduled screening at the Association for Asian American Studies Conference that was simultaneously taking place in Chicago.  Theresa Mah, the co-chair of the conference, took the extraordinary step of organizing a special screening and focus group for our film that was not previously in the conference program.  As a result, professors and educators from around the country got to see VINCENT WHO?, and many of them expressed their enthusiastic desire to screen our film in their universities and organizations.  For this outgrowth of opportunities, I must thank Theresa Mah for supporting VINCENT WHO? instinctively and giving us an unexpected second venue to show our film in Chicago.

Finally, I would like to thank my producer, Curtis Chin, and my executive producer, Catherine Park, for believing in me as the director of this film.  VINCENT WHO? is not just another project or film to them; it’s a mission.  They believe wholeheartedly in the need to raise awareness about the story and legacy of Vincent Chin, and they have made many sacrifices to help me get this film made and seen.

As I wrote in my director’s statement, Vincent Chin is the “founding story” of Asian Americans.  As such, all Asian Americans need to know about Vincent Chin like all Americans should know about how America was founded.  Individuals like Catherine Park, Curtis Chin, Theresa Mah, and Tim Hugh understand the critical importance of Vincent Chin’s story to our community, and that is why they have all gone out of their way to foster and promote VINCENT WHO?

To them, my heartfelt gratitude.

Tony Lam

The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and FAAIM have invited VINCENT WHO? to screen at its 13th edition of “Asian American Showcase” in Chicago. The film will be featured in a tour of various community town halls, schools and film festivals throughout the U.S. in 2008.

Writer-Producer Curtis Chin, who grew up in Detroit’s Chinatown, was impacted by the murder of Vincent Chin, a close family friend. “It was a small community and the murder had a profound impact on all of us. On the flipside, we were able to turn that grief and anger into something more positive.”

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First, as with most independent films and documentaries, “Vincent Who?” is a true labor of love.  It all started in spring of 2007.  As the 25th anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin was fast approaching, we began asking around to see if anything was being done in the community.  Not hearing of anything substantial that would really do the date justice, our organization, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, decided to organize a national townhall on hate crimes.  In total, we organized fourteen events around the country, each including a special screening of the Academy-Award nominated documentary, “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” by Renee Tajima Pena and Christine Choy.

The townhalls were a huge success.  We had originally planned to film the events as a TV special for the Asian American cable network, Imaginasian, but after putting the first cut and interviewing a few additional folks, we realized that we had a bigger project on our hands.  We knew that we really had to but some more effort behind this project and get it out to an even wider audience.  That’s when we decided to expand the film and try to submit it to a few film festivals.  (We are still planning to air the documentary on Imaginasian, but just at a later date.) As for now, we are still putting on the final touches to the film and hoping to get into a festival or venue near you.

This is where you come in.  If you know any film festivals, community organizations or student groups that would like to show the film, please let us know.  We really want to get it out to as wide a viewership as possible.  It’s about keeping the Vincent Chin case alive and telling his story.

Thanks, Curtis Chin, Producer

P.S. - If you can help support the film financials, donations would also be appreciated.  We’ll be setting up a donation link very shortly on this site.   

Interviewees and speakers include Helen Zia (leading activist during the Chin case), Stewart Kwoh (Founder & Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center), Judy Chu (Chair, California State Board of Equalization), Mike Eng (California State Assemblyman), Renee Tajima-Pena (Producer & Director, WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN?), Frank Wu (Dean, Wayne State University Law School), Janet Yang (Producer, THE JOY LUCK CLUB), Justin Lin (Director, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW), Robin Toma (Executive Director, Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations), Nhung Truong (District Representative, Office of Congressman Adam Schiff), Sejal Patel (Activist, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy), Ben de Guzman (National Campaign Coordinator, National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity) and others.

Panelists include:
ERIC BYLER, filmmaker & activist
DAVID KAWAMOTO, Japanese American Citizens League
CHRISTOPHER TENORIO, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Civil Rights Coordinator
LELAND YEE, California State Senator, Chair of Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs

Symposium moderator:
LEE ANN KIM, Channel 10 News anchor/reporter

Saturday, July 21, 2007
9:30 am - 10:00 am Registration
10:00 am - 10:05 am Introduction, Linda Tu, Alliance president
10:05 am - 11:30 am Free screening of “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” (Oscar-nominated documentary)
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Panel discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Reception

Location:
University of California, San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) Building, Room 1202

More details are available at www.sdaff.org.