Thursday, April 02, 2009

Vincent Who? Documentary Film in Michigan

Four screenings of Vincent Who? this weekend, April 3-4, 2009, with the filmmakers Curtis Chin and Michael P. Lee; in Madison Heights, Ann Arbor, and Dearborn; organized by American Citizens for Justice/ Asian American Center for Justice.

In 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin was murdered in Highland Park, Michigan, by two out-of-work autoworkers at the height of anti-Japanese sentiments. His killers were sentenced to a $3000 fine and 3 years of probation. They never served one day in jail. For the first time, Asian Americans around the country galvanized to form a real pan-Asian community and movement. The documentary film, Vincent Who?, was inspired by a series of town hall meetings organized by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP) on the 25th anniversary of the case, features interviews with the key players at the time, as well as a whole new generation of activists. Vincent Who? asks how far Asian Americans have come since then and how far we have yet to go. Featured interviews include: Helen Zia (lead activist during the Chin trial), Renee Tajima Pena (director, Who Killed Vincent Chin?), Stewart Kwoh (Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center), Lisa Ling (journalist), Sumi Pendakur (Univ. of Southern California), Dale Minami (civil rights attorney), Roland Hwang and Jim Shimoura (American Citizens for Justice/ Asian American Center for Justice), Doua Thor (Executive Director, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center), and a group of five diverse young Asian Pacific American (APA) activists whose lives were impacted by Vincent Chin.

American Citizens for Justice/ Asian American Center for Justice, the 501c3 nonprofit Asian American civil rights advocacy group founded after the baseball beating death of Vincent Chin in Detroit is coordinating several local showings of the new documentary film, Vincent Who? with guest appearances by the filmmakers, Curtis Chin and Michael Lee. There will be four showings of this film this weekend in Madison Heights, Ann Arbor, and Dearborn.

Friday April 3, 1 pm
Conversation on Race Series
University of Michigan Dearborn
Kochoff Hall Ballroom Room B
4901 Evergreen
Dearborn, MI 48126
Panel Discussion: Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, American Citizens for Justice Executive Director; Curtis Chin and Michael P. Lee, Vincent Who producers and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
http://sao.umd.umich.edu/sao_cor/

Friday April 3, 6:30-8:00 pm
Midwest Asian American Students Union (MAASU) Conference
University of Michigan
Biomed Science Research Building
109 Zina Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Panel Discussion: Ann Malayang Daley, past president American Citizens for Justice; Curtis Chin and Michael P. Lee, Vincent Who producers and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
http://www.umich.edu/~maasusc/2009/index.html

Saturday April 4, 1:00-3:00 pm
Ann Arbor District Library
Multipurpose Room
343 S. Fifth St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Panel Discussion: Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, American Citizens for Justice Executive Director; Curtis Chin and Michael P. Lee, Vincent Who producers and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
http://www.aadl.org/events/list/downtown

Saturday April 4 at 7 pm
Association of Chinese Americans - Chinese Community Center
32585 Concord Drive (1 block east of the I-75/14 Mile Rd. interchange, then 1/2-block south of 14 Mile Rd.)
Madison Heights, MI 48071
Panel Discussion: Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, American Citizens for Justice Executive Director; LG Almeda, Roland Hwang and Jim Shimora, American Citizens for Justice; Curtis Chin and Michael P. Lee, Vincent Who producers and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress.
Sponsored by American Citizens for Justice, Association of Chinese Americans, New Detroit, Inc., and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress
Suggested donation: $10, proceeds to American Citizens for Justice
http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/community/eventdetails.do?eventId=216007&orgId=acad

For more information, check out
http://www.multiculturaltoolbox.com/American_Citizens_for_Justice/vincentwho.html
http://americancitizensforjustice.org/whoWasVC.htm

or contact Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, American Citizens for Justice/ Asian American Center for Justice Executive Director at fkwang.acj@gmail.com or the contact for each particular showing.