Vincent Who?

Curtis Chin is a writer, producer and political activist based in Los Angeles.

Currently, Curtis is working on several projects including the documentary VINCENT WHO? which examines the impact of the Vincent Chin case on the Asian American community; a public service announcement with director George Huang and actors George Takei and Kelly Hu; and a graphic novel based on his childhood of growing up in Detroit’s Chinatown. In addition to being an accomplished poet and playwright, Curtis has written for several network television series on ABC and the Disney Channel, as well as projects for NBC and Nickelodeon.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Curtis grew up in a large, tight-knit Chinese American family, working at the family’s Chinese restaurant which was founded in 1940 by his great-grandfather. The restaurant was the favorite eating spot of the city’s top sports stars and news reporters, as well as the city’s long-time mayor, Coleman Young. Curtis did everything from washing dishes to waiting tables and serving as manager.

In high school, Curtis first caught the political bug. In addition to serving on student council, he was the president of his junior and senior class, as well as being president of the National Honor Society. He also co-founded the Young Republican Club and was active as a volunteer with the state party. He also got his first television experience by producing a t.v. special for the local cable access network and appearing on the syndicated game show, “Wheel of Fortune.”

Curtis was one of twelve students selected for the prestigious creative writing program at the University of Michigan. He went on to graduate with a creative writing degree in poetry. It was also here that he first became involved in more progressive organizations including the University of Michigan Asian American Student Coalition and the Gay and Lesbian Student Center.

During the summer before his final year in college, Curtis served two internships in New York City, one with the Chinatown History Museum and the other with the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. When the summer was over, he was offered a full-time job with the theatre company and decided to stay in New York and finish his thesis/manuscript via correspondence.

While in New York, Curtis became very active in a variety of causes and organizations, all while still pursuing his writing career. Curtis won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (theatre) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (poetry). He also served on panels for the New York State Arts Council and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Curtis co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop, a non-profit that quickly became of the leading arts organization in New York City. In addition to publishing a series of anthologies, offering fellowships to writers and opening the largest Asian American bookstore in the country, the organization received grants from such leading funders as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Curtis would go on to be the organization’s first Executive Director.

In his spare time, Curtis also found time to serve as the Co-chair of the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York, mentor students from Chinatown with the Asian Professional Exchange and volunteer for several political races.

When Curtis moved to Los Angeles, he quickly moved into television and screenwriting. Some credits include the sitcoms “Norm,” “According to Jim” and “Jake Long.” He is an active member of the Writers Guild of America.

In 2006, Curtis took his first paid job in politics as Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander Outreach with the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Curtis was then placed on the Tammy Duckworth campaign in IL-06. While there, he oversaw a full-time staff of five and managed a volunteer crew of over a hundred individuals. He also wrote and produced a robocall with TV journalist Lisa Ling and subsequently flew to DC to file a report with Congress Mike Honda and senior staff at the DNC.

Currently, Curtis serves on the board Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP), a national network of progressive Asian Americans. APAP has quickly become one of the most prominent political organizations in the community. Highlights include an Asian/Latino presidential forum in Los Angeles attended by 250 people, an activist training in Chicago with the DNC and a fourteen-city national town hall on hate crimes on the 25th anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin. In addition, the organization has held events with such leading politicians as California State Comptroller John Chiang, Board of Equalization member Judy Chu, Assembly members Ted Lieu and Mike Eng and New York City Councilman John Liu.

Curtis was elected to serve on the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, as well as the California Democratic Party State Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Metropolitan Democratic Club.

Producer’s Statement

As a child growing up in Detroit’s Chinatown, I remember how the Vincent Chin case galvanized our small community. Here was a friend of the family who was about to get married, but was instead brutally murdered by two autoworkers. People who were normally pre-occupied with pursuing the American dream were now attending court hearings and planning public rallies. They were appearing on TV talking about Asian American civil rights and building bridges with various communities. While Vincent’s death was a great loss, it was a great site to see the Asian American community responding in such a powerful and united way.

After graduating college at the University of Michigan, I moved to New York and Los Angeles to pursue a career in writing. Throughout that time, the memory of Vincent started to fade. I became busy with my own interests, both creative and political, and had pretty much forgotten about the case.

But a couple of years ago, I was reminded by a friend that the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vincent Chin’s murder was approaching. He wondered if I knew of anything going on to commemorate the historic moment. I hadn’t heard of anything, but knew that something needed to be done.

As a board member of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, a national network of progressive Asian Americans, I knew that that organization would be the perfect vehicle to help keep alive Vincent’s memory. Working together with local community leaders and organizations, we put together a series of town halls across the country. There were fourteen events held around the country over the summer.

While the turnout and excitement was high among community activist, we discovered that a lot of young people had never heard of Vincent Chin or his case. We then decided to pursue this documentary.

This project has evolved into something that we hope the community will use as challenge: to remember Vincent and to keep marching on in his spirit.