34th Michigan Legal Milestone plaque commemorates Vincent Chin case www.legalnews.com

By John Minnis
Legal News

There never will be justice for Vincent Chin, but a Michigan Legal Milestone plaque on Woodward at Nine Mile will make sure he is never forgotten.
In the early 1980s, the American economy was in a recession, and American automakers were especially hard hit. Japanese imports were making inroads into the American market. “It’s because of you … that we’re out of work,” Chin’s attackers said at the time.

click on link for more www.legalnews.com/oakland/1004154/

Adventures in Multicultural Living: "Did you eat means I love you" Deciphering our families at Christmas - AnnArbor.com

from American Citizens for Justice Advisory Board member Frances Kai-Hwa Wang in AnnArbor.com:

A few days before Christmas last year, I cheekily signed off an email to family and friends, “I’ve got a date with Robert Downey, Jr. on Christmas day.”

My mother was pleased to hear that I was going to be with friends on Christmas day since I could not go home, and she asked my brother if he knew anything about my new friend, Robert Downey, Jr.

My brother told her that Robert Downey, Jr. was an actor.

My mother worried about the low income and job insecurity of actors.

My brother explained that Robert Downey, Jr. was not that kind of actor, and that his movie, Sherlock Holmes, was opening Christmas Day.

Oh.

Gotta love our parents.

click on link for more: "Did you eat means I love you" Deciphering our families at Christmas - AnnArbor.com

additional media coverage of vincent chin plaque installation

AngryAsianMan.com!
http://blog.angryasianman.com/2010/12/new-plaque-commemorates-vincent-chin.html

Chicago Tribune (AP)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-chinmemorial,0,581915.story

great thorough article that begins with quotes from Van Ong the nurse on duty that night and six photos:
A Rallying Cry: Vincent Chin's Death and the Birth of A Movement - Ferndale, MI Patch

Speeches from Vincent Chin case Legal Milestone Plaque Installation

Links to the speeches and content at the Vincent Chin case 34th Michigan Legal Milestone Plaque Installation Ceremony, December 22, 2010, Ferndale, Michigan

Covey's Corner: Full Text of the Mayor's Remarks, Vincent Chin Memorial:
Covey's Corner: Full Text of the Mayor's Remarks, Vincent Chin Memorial

Full Text of Frances Kai-Hwa Wang's Remarks: The facts of the Vincent Chin case and the activism that followed

link to content of Roland Hwang's remarks:
The legal changes that occured because of the Vincent Chin case

link to content of State Bar Association of Michigan Janet Welch's remarks: Michigan Legal Milestones

Full text of both plaques:
Milestone Plaque Wording

Plaques honoring Vincent Chin case unveiled in Ferndale

Media coverage of installation of Vincent Chin case 34th Legal Milestone Plaque by State Bar of Michigan on December 22, 2010, Ferndale, Michigan

Channel 7 WXYZ tv: a great video story here, with interviews with two of Vincent Chin's friends and part of Frances' speech:
Plaque honoring murdered Asian man, Vincent Chin, unveiled in Ferndale

Detroit News article with video (with summary of case) by AAJA member Ankur Dholakia:
Vincent Chin memorial unveiled in Ferndale | detnews.com | The Detroit News

The AP! Fabulous photos:
Ferndale memorial unveiled to honor Vincent Chin - Times Union

Michigan Radio print article:
MICHIGAN RADIO: Michigan Asian Americans, lawyers honor Chin (2010-12-22)

Great summary with key quotes from Oakland County Daily Tribune and Macomb Daily:
Legal milestone in Ferndale marks Vincent Chin fatal beating case - dailytribune.com
same article as above:
Legal milestone in Ferndale marks Vincent Chin fatal beating case - macombdaily.com

Observer Eccentric Newspapers:
Ferndale roadside plaque honors memory of hate-crime victim | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies

AngryAsianMan.com!
http://blog.angryasianman.com/2010/12/new-plaque-commemorates-vincent-chin.html

Chicago Tribune (AP)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-chinmemorial,0,581915.story

great thorough article that begins with quotes from Van Ong the nurse on duty that night and six photos:
A Rallying Cry: Vincent Chin's Death and the Birth of A Movement - Ferndale, MI Patch

Legal News
www.legalnews.com/oakland/1004154/

Articles that ran before the ceremony:
Great Detroit Free Press article with quotes from Roland Hwang, Jim Shimoura, Mayor Craig Covey, and Van Ong who was the emergency room nurse-on-duty at the hospital when they brought in Vincent Chin that night, as well as a summary of the legal changes the occured:
Vincent Chin's beating death spurred changes in Michigan law | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Patch.com article with photo of workers installing the plaque:
Ferndale To Honor Vincent Chin, Asian Pacific American Movement - Ferndale, MI Patch

more links to other articles coming soon.

Installation of Vincent Chin case 34th Legal Milestone Plaque today

Vincent Chin Case State Bar of Michigan Legal Milestone installation is today, Wednesday, December 22, at Noon at the Post Bar (formerly Golden Star Restaurant where Vincent Chin once worked) in Ferndale, Michigan. The first meeting about the case was held at that location in March 1983.

Today's program is hosted by the City of Ferndale. Everyone is invited to attend. Ferndale Mayor Covey indicates that the place can hold 140 people. The Post Bar is located at 22828 Woodward, east side of Woodward, just north of 9 Mile Road in Ferndale.

The event is covered on page 1 of the Detroit Free Press today.

link to the Free Press article: http://www.freep.com/article/20101222/NEWS05/12220383/1001/NLETTER09/82-beating-death-spurred-changes-in-Michigan-law?source=nletter-news

link to Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey's press release:
http://coveys-corner.blogspot.com/2010/12/why-we-are-proud-to-host-vincent-chin.html

wording on the plaques here:
http://www.multiculturaltoolbox.com/American_Citizens_for_Justice/MilestonePlaque.html

link to Frances Kai-Hwa Wang's speech coming soon:

link to content of Roland Hwang's speech:
http://www.michbar.org/journal/pdf/pdf4article1505.pdf

Adventures in Multicultural Living: The difference a cool voice of authority (like Santa) can make beyond Christmas - AnnArbor.com

from ACJ Advisory Board member Frances Kai-Hwa Wang:

Last week, I went on a first grade field trip to Kensington Metropark. The naturalist assigned to our small group, Manfred Schmidt, took a few extra moments to learn to pronounce the beautiful names emblazoned on the children’s nametags (Indian names, Korean names, Chinese names, Greek names). He said by way of explanation that he was from Germany.

When he showed us the bat house, he told the children that bats look like flying mice and were called fledermaus in German. He also told them about an opera of the same name. My six-year-old son, Little Brother, actually remembered that song from the University of Michigan Halloween concert.

As our little group marched back towards the nature center at the end of our hike, the naturalist taught the children how to count in German, and the children taught him how to count in all of their languages, too. Eine, zwei, drei, vier. Yi, er, san, si.

Not only did the children have chickadees eating out of their hands, they also got an inadvertent lesson in language, culture, and music. Nothing heavy-handed, it was just small talk; but it was small talk that made those cultural differences okay. Never mind that mom and dad probably say all those same things every day, but the naturalist was a teacher and a person in authority.

click on link for more: The difference a cool voice of authority (like Santa) can make beyond Christmas - AnnArbor.com