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Getting the Story Right

Many years have passed since the attack and death of Vincent Chin, yet many needed changes remain. Adequate representation in the media is still out of reach for many communities, and many groups lack equal access to American media.

One cornerstone of the Asian American Journalists Association’s (AAJA) mission is to provide the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community with an awareness of news media and an understanding of how to gain equitable access. Toward that goal, AAJA created MediaWatch. MediaWatch holds news media organizations to standards of accuracy and fairness in the coverage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and AAPI issues. If you know of a news media organization that you believe has strayed from these standards, we encourage you to bring the issue to the attention of MediaWatch.

Lily Chin holds a photo of her son, Vincent Chin.

Additional media watch and media access resources include:

AAJA’s Media Access Guide (PDF)

AAJA Handbook to Covering Asian America

AAJA MediaWatch on Facebook

Develop your Media Access skills at the 2013 National Convention

Submit an item for review by MediaWatch

Do you want to know more about Vincent Chin? If you are a college student, you can write an essay and compete for a scholarship.

Read Additional Resources and Articles on the Chin Case

AAJA encourages everyone to pursue a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the violent death of Vincent Chin, its aftermath and this turning point in Asian American history. If we do not study our past and reflect on what we must do today, we risk of allowing such injustices to happen again. Below is a small sample of resources for those interested in learning more about the Chin case and the movement it started. There is a wealth of work on this topic, and AAJA strongly encourages everyone to seek out sources beyond this list.

Books

• Yellow: Race in American Beyond Black and White, by Frank H. Wu, Basic Books, ISBN 978-465-00639-7
• Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of Asian American People, by Helen Zia, Farrar Straus Giroux ISBN 0-374-14774-4

Videos

• The Killing of Vincent Chin Trial Reenactment Performed at
• Who Killed Vincent Chin? an Academy Award-nominated documentary film, directed by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña
• Vincent Who? a documentary by Tony Lam, featuring Lily Chin and  Helen Zia

Articles

• Vincent Chin’s Murderer Still Sorry by Emil Guillermo
• The Man Who Killed Vincent Chin by Michael Moore
• Why Vincent Chin Matters by Frank H. Wu
• 1983 Flashback: The ordeal of Vincent Chin’s mother, Lily Chin from Detroit Free Press
  
• Killing Spawned Asian American Civil Rights Movement by Roland Hwang in the Michigan Bar Journal

Other Organizations With Information Online

• American Citizens for Justice
• Asian Pacific Americans for Progress
• Fred Korematsu Institute

AAJA thanks Joe Grimm and Frank H. Wu for their contributions and input on this project. This page made possible by the Ford Foundation.

A note on the photo captions: AAJA’s license to use AP Images requires us to post the caption, byline and source for each photo. The captions that appear with each photo have been provided by AP and are not attributed to the Asian American Journalists Association. 

In honor of Chin and thanks to the generosity of Joe Grimm, a former newsroom recruiter and staff development editor for the Detroit Free-Press, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has established a college scholarship. This scholarship rewards an accomplished, community-minded student journalist for an insightful, articulate essay related to Chin and his legacy.

Lily Chin buries her son on her 62nd birthday.

ELIGIBILTY

1) Applicants must be committed to AAJA’s mission.

2) Applicants must demonstrate journalistic excellence, a strong interest in pursuing journalism as a career, and a commitment to community involvement.

3) Applicants must be a graduating high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student enrolled full time with at least 12 credit units each semester for the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014 school year. Applicants must be currently taking or planning to take journalism courses and/or pursuing journalism as a career.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The Vincent Chin Memorial Scholarship will award one college student $500.

HOW TO APPLY ONLINE

• Log in or create a new account on AAJA online. The accounts are free and you do not have to be an AAJA member to create one.
• Go to “Awards and Competitions” on your personal account page
• Click “View Open Competitions,” then click “2013 Vincent Chin Memorial Scholarship.”

PRIVACY POLICY

Application information will only be used internally by AAJA to promote student opportunities and for program evaluation and planning. In the application form, please indicate whether or not you would like to be notified of further student opportunities from AAJA. AAJA does not share applicant information with third parties.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

1) Completed Vincent Chin Scholarship Online Application form, available in your AAJA account.

2) A 500-word essay addressing one of the discussion questions above. It should be typed, double-spaced, 12pt font. Entries exceeding the word limit will be disqualified.

Complete and submit your completed application requirements by midnight PDST on June 28, 2013.

Essay Topic Question Options for AAJA’s Vincent Chin Memorial Scholarship

Option 1
Could it happen again? The attack on Vincent Chin occurred during a time in which Asians, specifically Japanese, were blamed for U.S. unemployment. People literally bashed Japanese cars with sledgehammers. Video and photos of such acts were shown in the news media. Few people connected them to potential attacks on real people. Does symbolic violence make it more acceptable to attack people? Does this climate exist against other people today? What can be done?

Option 2
How are Asian Americans one people? Asian Americans overcame many differences in rallying together to seek justice after Vincent Chin’s killing. They came from different cultures and language backgrounds. They brought histories of being foes as often as being allies. In the Detroit area, though, they decided that an attack on a Chinese American man, mistaken for being Japanese, was a danger and an injustice to all. They united in protest. Some call this the start of a pan-Asian consciousness in the United States. How does life in the United States make people from so many nationalities one group?

Option 3
Protest or conform? Some Asian Americans were reluctant to join the Vincent Chin cause. They had been pursuing success by getting along in the mainstream. Some had been acculturated to not make trouble or call attention to themselves. Yet a group of people began writing letters, visiting the media and protesting in the streets. This question about whether to protest or conform comes to every one of us. Although the stakes are not as high as justice over the death of a young man, we are all confronted at work or in other groups to decide: When and how do you make a stand?

Option 4
Who was Lily Chin? The Vincent Chin trials paint the portrait of a mother in anguish. We frequently ask who was Vincent Chin or who killed him. The emergence of his mother as a strong voice is a compelling story too. Describe her life and her legacy.

“I love America. I think this is a good country. But now, after these men killed my son , I don’t like to live here. This is not fair. What kind of law is this? What kind of justice?” 

- Lily Chin, Chin’s mother

QUESTIONS FOR US ALL
Even for those not vying for the scholarship, these questions can provoke productive discussion and reflection on what happened, the aftermath and its relevance today. AAJA hopes that Vincent Chin’s ultimate legacy will be to prevent others from suffering hate and injustice.

List compiled by the:
ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION

www.aaja.org
San Francisco, CA
415-346-2051
national@aaja.org

ACCESS
(Includes the Arab American National Museum and the National Network for Arab American Communities)
www.accesscommunity.org
Dearborn, MI
313-842-7010

ASIA SOCIETY

http://asiasociety.org

New York, NY
212-288-6400

ASIAN AMERICAN ARCHITECTS/ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION

http://www.aaaesc.com

Los Angeles CA
213-896-9270
info@aaaesc.org

ASIAN AMERICAN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER

http://www.aabdc.com

New York, NY
212-966-0100
info@aabdc.com

ASIAN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVES NETWORK

http://www.aagen.org

Washington, D.C.
202-558-7499
news@aagen.org

ASIAN AMERICAN INSTITUTE

http://www.aaichicago.org

Chicago, IL
773-271-0899

ASIAN AMERICAN JUSTICE CENTER

http://advancingequality.org

Washington, D.C.
202-296-2300

ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE and EDUCATION FUND

http://aaldef.org

New York, NY
212 966-5932
info@aaldef.org

ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN HEALTH FORUM

http://www.apiahf.org

San Francisco, CA
415-954-9988
info@apiahf.org

ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN VOTE
www.apiavote.org
Washington, D.C.:
202-223-9170
info@apiavote.org

ASIAN LAW CAUCUS

http://www.asianlawcaucus.org

San Francisco, CA
415-896-1701
alc@asianlawcaucus.org

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONGRESSIONAL STUDIES

http://www.apaics.org

Washington, D.C.
202-296-9200
apaics@apaics.org

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LABOR ALLIANCE

http://www.apalanet.org

Washington, D.C.
202-508-3733
apala@apalanet.org

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEGAL CENTER

http://www.apalc.org

Los Angeles, CA
213-977-7500
Info@apalc.org

ASIAN PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK

http://archive.apen4ej.org/

Oakland, CA
510-834-8920

apen@apen4ej.org

ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS

http://www.aapcho.org

Oakland, CA
510-272-9536

CHINESE AMERICAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE
www.cacanational.org
San Francisco, CA
info@cacanational.org

CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICANS UNITED FOR SELF EMPOWERMENT

http://www.causeusa.org

Pasadena, CA
626-356-9838
info@causeusa.org

CENTER FOR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN WOMEN

http://www.apawomen.org

San Francisco, CA
415-310-6978
info@apawomen.org

COMMITTEE OF 100, An Organization Of Chinese American Leaders
www.committee100.org
New York, NY
212-371-6565
c100@committee100.org

CONFERENCE ON ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEADERSHIP

http://www.capal.org

Washington, D.C.
info@capal.org

FEDERAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL

http://www.fapac.org

Washington, D.C.
202-366-0626
fapac@fapac.org

CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA

http://caamedia.org

San Francisco, CA
415-863-0814
info@caamedia.org

HMONG NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

http://www.hndinc.org

St. Paul, MN office:
651-495-9160
info@hndinc.org

JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE

http://www.jacl.org

San Francisco, CA
415-921-5225
jacl@jacl.org

KOREAN AMERICAN COALITION
www.kacnational.com
Los Angeles, CA
213-365-5999
info@kacla.org

LEADERSHIP EDUCATION FOR ASIAN PACIFICS

http://www.leap.org

Los Angeles, CA
213-485-1422
leap@leap.org

MEDIA ACTION NETWORK FOR ASIAN AMERICANS

http://www.manaa.org

Los Angeles, CA
213-486-4433

MUSLIM AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION

http://www.muslimamericanjournalists.com

NATIONAL ARAB AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
www.naaja-us.com
Orland Park, IL

NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

http://naapimha.org

Denver, CO
303-298-7910

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION

http://www.napaba.org

Washington, D.C.
202-775-9555

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN WOMEN’S FORUM

http://napawf.org

Brooklyn, NY
202-470-3170
info@napawf.org

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC CENTER ON AGING

http://www.napca.org

Seattle, WA

206-624-1221

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS

http://www.naaap.org

Uwchland, PA
215-715-3046

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN MBAS

http://www.asianmba.org

New York, NY
212-465-8391

NATIONAL COALITION FOR ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

http://www.nationalcapacd.org

Washington, D.C. Office:
202-223-2442

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ASIAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS

http://www.national-caaba.org

Mountain View, CA
650-303-6164
info@national-caaba.org

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS

http://www.ncapaonline.org

Takoma Park, MD
301-270-1855
NCAPAStaffer@gmail.com

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDIAN-AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS

http://www.nfia.net

Gaithersburg, MD
301-926-3013, 301-935-5321
info@nfia.net

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILIPINO AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONS

http://NaFFAAUSA.org

Washington, D.C.
202-361-0296
NaFFAANational@gmail.com

NATIONAL JAPANESE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

http://njahs.org

San Francisco, CA
415-921-5007

NATIONAL KOREAN AMERICAN SERVICE & EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

http://nakasec.org

Los Angeles, CA
323-937-3703

nakasec@nakasec.org

NATIVE HAWAIIAN LEGAL CORPORATION

http://www.nhlchi.org

808-521-2302
Honolulu, HI
info@nhlchi.org

OCA
(formerly, Organization of Chinese Americans)

http://www.ocanational.org

Washington, D.C.
202-223-5500
oca@ocanational.org

SIKH AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE and EDUCATION FUND

http://www.saldef.org

Washington, DC
202-393-2700

SIKH COALITION

http://www.sikhcoalition.org

New York, NY
212-655-3095

SOUTH ASIAN AMERICAN DIGITAL ARCHIVE

http://www.saadigitalarchive.org

Philadelphia, PA
734-716-6621
info@saadigitalarchive.org

SOUTH ASIAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION

http://www.saja.org

saja@saja.org

SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS LEADING TOGETHER

http://www.saalt.org

Takoma Park, MD
301-270-1855

SOUTHEAST ASIA RESOURCE ACTION CENTER

http://www.searac.org

202-667-4690
Washington, D.C.
searac@searac.org

WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON ASIAN AMERICANS and PACIFIC ISLANDERS

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi

Washington, D.C.