West Virginia University will be showing the documentary “Vincent Who?” about the beating death of a Chinese-American man in Detroit in the 1980s.

The documentary will be shown Wednesday, March 21, at 6 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. The showing is free and open to the public. Curtis Chin, who wrote and directed the film and is the founder of Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, will be at the event to answer questions following the film.

The film showing is co-sponsored by the President’s Office for Social Justice and the Community Coalition for Social Justice.

“Vincent Who?” is set in 1982 during a time of anti-Japanese feeling and chronicles the story of Vincent Chin, who was bludgeoned with a baseball bat the night of his bachelor party by two white autoworkers in Detroit. Chin was attacked on June 19, 1982 and died days later from his injuries. The next year, his assailants were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years probation and a $3,000 fine.

Throughout the story, justice eludes Chin’s family as his assailants are either cleared of charges or avoid paying civil damages.

The documentary, produced in 2009, explains how Chin’s death galvanized the Asian American community into action and places it in the larger background of Asian history in America.

-WVU-

03/02/12

CONTACT: Sharon Mallow, President’s Office for Social Justice
304-293-5496, Sharon.Mallow@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.