MOVEMENTS AND MOMENTS

Fighting Anti-Asian Violence: Justice for Vincent Chin

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Did the killing of Vincent Chin and the activism it sparked change what it means to be Asian American?

Chapter objectives
  • Learn about the murder of Vincent Chin and the diverse movement that organized a demand for justice around his case.
  • Understand the hostile sentiment towards Asians and Asian Americans in 1980s American society that led to the racially motivated attack against Vincent Chin.
  • Explore how a grassroots movement for justice started with a small community and grew to unite people from other ethnic, racial, religious, and class backgrounds for collective power.

During the economic recession of the 1970s and 1980s that sparked intense anti-Japanese hate, a young Chinese American named Vincent Chin was killed in 1982. That time of anti-Asian hate was much like today: Japan then, China now. Throughout US history, Asian Americans have often been lumped together and blamed for America’s economic, social, and political problems. Despite being lumped together, Asian American ethnic communities were largely disconnected before 1982. The racially charged circumstances surrounding Vincent Chin’s murder activated different Asian communities to form a national, pan-Asian movement to demand civil rights and justice for all. This chapter explores how this landmark case created a grassroots movement that empowered Asian Americans to join civil rights groups in the fight for justice.

Modules in this chapter


Who Was Vincent Chin?

Economic Crises, the Politics of Blame, and 1980s Detroit

To Do Something or Nothing: The Decision to Take Action

Building a Pan-Asian American Civil Rights Movement

The Continued Impact and Legacy of Vincent Chin’s Story

Who Was Vincent Chin?

Economic Crises, the Politics of Blame, and 1980s Detroit

To Do Something or Nothing: The Decision to Take Action

Building a Pan-Asian American Civil Rights Movement

The Continued Impact and Legacy of Vincent Chin’s Story

Chapter Sources


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Choy, Christine, and Renee Tajima-Peña, dirs. Who Killed Vincent Chin? Filmmakers Library, 1989.

Noble, Kenneth B. “Tough-Nosed and Enigmatic,” New York Times, July 11, 1982.

“Statement: Report Shows Almost 11,000 Hate Acts, Most Reported by 
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“Two Years and Thousands of Voices: National Report (through March 21, 2022).” Stop AAPI Hate, July 2022. https://stopaapihate.org/2022/07/20/year-2-report/.

Yoo, Paula. From a Whisper to a Rallying CryThe Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement. Norton Young Readers, 2021.

Zia, Helen. Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001.

Zia, Helen. The Case for Vincent Chin, A Tragedy In American Justice: The Official Statement of American Citizens for Justice. American Citizens for Justice, May 11, 1983.

Zia, Helen and Vincent Chin Institute, with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Vincent Chin Legacy Guide: Asian Americans and Civil Rights. https://vincentchin.org/legacy-guide.