New Canaan Library joins the Fairfield County Chapter of the OCA - a national organization advocating for the rights of Asian Americans - and community partners in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander National Heritage Month. Throughout May, the Library will feature an exhibit on the 1982 killing of Vincent Chin, a racially motivated crime that galvanized a new civil rights movement.
In addition to the exhibit, the month’s focus will include a May 8th panel discussion exploring the current climate of hate and what individuals and communities can do to reduce racial bias. The panel begins at 6:30 PM, Monday, May 8, in the Library’s Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium, followed by a reception showcasing Asian foods.
Vincent Chin was a young Chinese man who was racially assaulted in public by two white auto workers who had recently lost their jobs. In the 1980s fuel-efficient Japanese cars gave Detroit serious competition, leading to massive layoffs. Racial tensions were high. The two auto workers followed him into the parking lot and was overheard asking a passer-by to “help get the Chinese.” The two beat him to death with a baseball bat. The two pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to a mere three years’ probation and a $3,000 fine and served no jail time. This incident became the impetus for the Asian American civil rights movement. The exhibit also explores the efforts of Lily, Vincent’s mother, to seek justice for her son.