Screenshots from the Sa-I-Gu documentary about the aftermath of the LA Riots, from the perspectives of Korean immigrant women. Subtitles pictured are the documentary’s translations of Korean.
It was hard for me to watch the pain and anger of these women, who are being interviewed as they begin to deal with what happened to their lives. There is an overwhelming sense of resentment towards American society as a whole, and some express ignorance and anger against the black people they saw as their victimizers during the riots (the directors address the racism and their choice to document it at the end). However, considering that the government and media have just demonstrated beyond doubt that they are only there to protect rich white communities, most of these women seem to sympathize with the suffering of black and poor people in their shared city, and seem to have gained a very clear analysis of institutional racism and the media’s role in it all. They have just seen the undeniable truth that, no matter how hard they work and sacrifice, they will still be expendable. What I have sensed from older generations of Koreans in LA, including my parents, is a desire to forget, because they were never given justice or any real answers, after their small, newly arrived community was burned to the ground, forced to become such a central player in the American racist legacy beyond their understanding.
Colorlines: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/04/sa-i-gu_documentary_explores_how_korean_women_remember_the_la_riots.html
#justicefordannychen: Birthday Card Campaign
Private Danny Chen would have turned 20 years old on May 26th. Sadly, his life was cut short when he was just 19 years old, following weeks of constant mistreatment and discrimination by his superiors while stationed in Afghanistan.
The community’s powerful response to Danny’s tragic death has…
New York Magazine feature on Private Danny Chen
Please read this and share. As we continue demanding justice for Danny and real action by the army to stop discriminatory abuse, the support of the public is critical.
(Source: justicefordannychen)
Danny Chen’s family making posters for the march and rally
(Source: justicefordannychen)
Thanks, and stay connected.
Thank you for coming to the vigil to remember Vincent Chin. True to its beginnings, the story of Vincent Chin brought us together in an incredible way last night. I got the sense that many of us had come for similar reasons: a sense of solidarity, a chance to fill the void left by Vincent Chin’s death and express the hurt we feel about the injustices that affect our community daily, but also a chance to celebrate the strength and diversity of APAs, especially our community here in New York, and anticipate our empowered future together. Imagine what we can do!
Please keep in touch. Email remembervincentchin@gmail.com or like this facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Remember-Vincent-Chin/182653265123686 so we can keep in touch with each other about anything anyone out there would like to organize in the future!
In solidarity,
Esther
A Chinese translation of the Remember Vincent Chin event details by Sing Tao Daily News. Please help distribute to the Chinese speaking community!
Here is the event flyer! We would greatly appreciate your help in distributing it!
Vigil 6/23/11 in Columbus Park, Manhattan
Facebook event link: http://tinyurl.com/676x8t6
In 1982, two white autoworkers, motivated by racist anger, bludgeoned Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man, to death with a baseball bat. Chin died from the injuries, just 5 days before his wedding. His murderers got away with 3 years of probation and a $3000 fine— not a single night in jail—and are living free among us today.
June 23rd is the anniversary of Vincent Chin’s death. On Thursday, June 23, 2011, 6:30-8pm, please come join us for a vigil in Columbus Park, Manhattan (67 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013, Chinatown) to remember Vincent Chin and honor the role that his death played in the Asian Pacific American civil rights movement.
We’d like this vigil to serve as a time and place for people in NYC to:
-reflect on Vincent Chin’s death and its significance.
-hear from leaders and fellow community members about the APA movement and the fight against hate crimes today, and also provide an opportunity for anyone to express his or her thoughts about Vincent Chin.
-find ways to get engaged with the APA movement and connect with one another in solidarity.
-make a statement against all hate crimes, which continue to ravage all marginalized communities on a daily basis.
Schedule:
6 pm - Begin gathering in the pavilion in Columbus Park.
6:30 pm - Liz OuYang, President of OCA-NY, will give opening remarks to begin the vigil.
6:45 – 7:45 pm - More speakers and open mic:
*John C. Liu, New York City Comptroller
*Spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai
*Sandeep Amy Kaur, Staff Attorney at The Sikh Coalition
*Scott Lu and Christine Peng, Board Members, CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
*Peter Gee, Associate Director of Resource Development and Programs, Asian Americans for Equality
*Ron T. Kim, VP of Korean American Association of Greater New York and Co-Director of APA for Progress - NY
*There will also be time for people attending the event to share their thoughts about Vincent Chin.
7:45 – 8 pm – Roll call for those who have died in racially motivated incidents since Vincent Chin.
We will also be playing sound bites during the event from the documentary, VINCENT WHO?
Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP) is offering the full version of the documentary, VINCENT WHO?, on a new website: http://vincentwhomovie.com/
Whether or not you’re coming to the vigil on Thursday, please take 40 minutes to watch the documentary. It’s an inspiring and incredibly informative overview of the Vincent Chin murder and its implications on the Asian Pacific American movement to date.
For more information about Vincent Chin, please visit:
http://www.vincentwhofilm.com/about/
http://aaldef.org/blog/vincent-chin-remembering-ronald-ebens-the-guy-who-got-away-with-murder.html
http://www.apaforprogress.org/vincent-chin-timeline-and-research-guide
Also, for information about a Vincent Chin conference in August:
http://www.aaja.org/programs/convention2011detroit/CommunityProgramming/WhoKilledVincentChin/
This vigil has been organized by individuals.
Co-sponsored by OCA-NY, AAFE, and APA for Progress.
And thanks for all your support: CAAAV, The Sikh Coalition, Tony Lam, MinKwon Center for Community Action, Chinese-American Planning Council, Blacklava, Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil RIghts and Education, GOLES, many amazing people committed to remembering Vincent Chin, and everyone who will be attending or has shared the event with their friends!
