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‘Vincent Who?’ to screen Oct. 14 in HSC

October 9, 2013

Cover of “Vincent Who?” DVDA screening of the documentary film “Vincent Who?” will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, in the Illinois Room of the Holmes Student Center.

In 1982, at the height of anti-Japanese sentiments, Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit by two white autoworkers who lost their jobs and took it out on him.

When the judged fined the killers a mere $3,000 and three years of probation, Asian-Americans around the country galvanized for the first time to form a real community and movement.

This documentary 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 (University of Southern California);
  • Dale Minami (civil rights attorney);
  • Doua Thor (executive director, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center); and
  • a group of five diverse young APA activists whose lives were impacted by Vincent Chin.
Curtis Chin

Curtis Chin

Curtis Chin – writer and producer of “Vincent Who?” – is an award-winning writer and producer who has written for ABC, NBC, Fox, the Disney Channel and more. He has screened films at more than 300 colleges in four countries.

As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress. In 2008, he served on President Obama’s Asian American Leadership Council where he participated in helping the campaign reach out to the Asian American Pacific Islander community. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Newsweek and other media outlet.

He is currently a visiting scholar at NYU.

The screening of “Vincent Who?” at NIU will be part of a tour including DePaul, Northwestern and Illinois State University. This screening is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Diversity & Equity, the college of Education and Law, the Student Association, the Residence Hall Association, Affirmative Action and Diversity Resources and the Asian American Center.

For more information, call (815) 752-1177 or email AsianAmericanCenter@niu.edu.