xoericxo:

On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin was enjoying his bachelor party at a club in Detroit, MI. Ronald Ebens, a white Chrysler employee who had recently been laid off, and his stepson Michael Nitz also happened to be there. Mistaking Chin for Japanese, they blamed “motherfuckers like you” for the loss of their job and, later, beat him mercilessly with a baseball bat. Before slipping into a coma, Chin whispered his final words: “It’s not fair.” He died twenty-nine years ago today, on June 23, 1982.

Ebens and Nitz were arrested and tried for manslaughter. They were sentenced to three years probation, a $3,000 fine, and $780 in court fees. Neither man ever served jail time. The jury found “no racial motivation” for the murder.

Chin’s death and the lenient sentencing of his murderers led to a nationwide coalition of Asian American activist groups, becoming what journalist Helen Zia called a “watershed moment” for Asian groups throughout the United States. Where previously there had been separate groups for Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, etc., the death of Vincent Chin united Asian Americans to form a pan-ethnic coalition to protest the injustices and racism that Asians faced.

In recent years Vincent Chin has largely been forgotten among the general public. But we must remember him, his name, his legacy. Remember the tragedy of his death, but also the silver lining: the change that it has brought, and the change that is still yet to come. We must continue to carry on his torch and continue fighting for justice.

Bringing this blog out of hiatus for the 29th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s death. Reblogging posts from my personal tumblr.