Save the date! Korematsu Day in Michigan January 30, 2014

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) and Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPACC) to recognize Fred Korematsu Day on Thursday, January 30, 2014, 12:30 p.m., Huron High School, 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Japanese American Fred Korematsu is an American civil liberties icon who courageously defied the U.S. Government’s order to report to an assembly center after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Korematsu was convicted for his refusal, but he appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled against him in a 6 to 3 decision in 1944. Korematsu’s conviction was formally vacated in 1983 based upon information that the War Department misled the Supreme Court with false allegations of espionage and sabotage. Korematsu’s story is one of triumph and correction over the civil wrongs against the Japanese American community. Korematsu received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Updates: Go to www.franceskaihwawang.com for updates.

Register for A/PIA Civil Rights: Journalism, Activism, and the Law at the University of Michigan

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, Ron Aramaki, and Roland Hwang will be teaching this course on A/PIA Civil Rights: Journalism, Activism, and the Law at the University of Michigan Winter 2014. Send us your University of Michigan students! Register now!

RIP Frances Kathryn Pearson Korematsu 1921-2013

Our thoughts are with Karen Korematsu and family.

http://korematsuinstitute.org/2013/11/in-memory-of-frances-kathryn-pearson-korematsu-1921-2013/

American Citizens for Justice (ACJ) Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fundraiser December 5

Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fundraiser and Happy Hour Thursday, December 5, 2013, 5:30pm to 8:30pm, MEX, 6675 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 48301. Sponsored by American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice, Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association of Michigan.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1395439180699677/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Helen Zia at American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice 30th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner Photos

Helen Zia! Photos from American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice 30th Anniversary Fundraising Dinner.






















Photos by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, not to be reproduced without permission.

American Citizens for Justice Fundraising Dinner Today!

TODAY! Come meet Asian Pacific American hero Helen Zia at American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice fundraising dinner November 15, 2013, 6pm! (♥ swoon ) Corporate and nonprofit sponsorships available, as well as discounted student tickets.

Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel, 21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan 48375 http://www.rememberingvincentchin.com/2013/11/helen-zia-keynote-for-american-citizens.html

Helen Zia is here!

Best Regards Advancing Justice Conference from American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice and Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission Wish we could be there with y'all, but we're having dinner with Helen Zia! swoon!

Tomorrow: Helen Zia will be the keynote speaker at American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice fundraising dinner November 15, 2013, 6pm! (♥ swoon ) Corporate and nonprofit sponsorships available, as well as discounted student tickets.

Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel, 21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan 48375http://www.rememberingvincentchin.com/2013/11/helen-zia-keynote-for-american-citizens.html

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Civil Rights for the Next Generation: The Role of Arts, Entertainment, and Social Media

Go Go Angry Asian Man Phil Yu who is speaking on the opening plenary of the Advancing Justice Conference 2013 on Thursday Nov 14 in Los Angeles, Californnia. So sorry to be missing all the fun this year, but look forward to catching up with everyone soon... American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice sends best regards!

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Civil Rights for the Next Generation: The Role of Arts, Entertainment, and Social Media

Helen Zia keynote for American Citizens for Justice Fundraiser November 15

Come meet Asian Pacific American hero Helen Zia at American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice fundraising dinner November 15, 2013, 6pm! (♥ swoon ) Corporate and nonprofit sponsorships available, as well as discounted student tickets.

Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel
21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan 48375

View Map · Get Directions

Students! Come meet Helen Zia at ACJ Fundraiser!

NOW! Student Tickets available for $40! Come meet Asian Pacific American hero Helen Zia at American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice fundraising dinner November 15, 2013, 6pm! (♥ swoon ) Corporate and nonprofit sponsorships available.

Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel
21111 Haggerty Road, Novi, Michigan 48375
View Map · Get Directions

Helen Zia coming to Detroit for American Citizens for Justice fundraising dinner November 15

Helen Zia coming to Detroit for American Citizens for Justice / Asian American Center for Justice fundraising dinner November 15, 2013! (♥ swoon )

"Highly Skilled Workers Sought In Rust Belt - Is Immigration the Answer?" | Corp July/August 2013

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang channeling Mee Moua in this article on immigration issues in Michigan, "Highly Skilled Workers Sought In Rust Belt - Is Immigration the Answer?" pp 28-32.

Corp July/August 2013

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Workshops

The workshops for this year's Advancing Justice Conference are out! Looks amazing!

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Workshops

Twitter / Search - #SmartaapiWomenOfTwitter

Check out the #SmartAAPIWomenOfTwitter (an amazing Twitter response to a Fast Company article on the 25 Smartest Women of Twitter that neglected to include a single woman of color). smh orz.

Twitter / Search - #SmartAAPIWomenOfTwitter

Make sure to also search for #SmartBlackWomenOfTwitter and #SmartLatinaWomenOfTwitter.

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Speakers

Check out all these amazing speakers (all my cool friends) at this year's Advancing Justice Conference in Los Angeles in November.

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Speakers

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: A Renewed Hope for the American Dream | Mee Moua

The great Mee Moua on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington

50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: A Renewed Hope for the American Dream | Mee Moua

What Do Asian-Americans Owe The Civil Rights Movement? : NPR

Cool article as we head into the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington
What Do Asian-Americans Owe The Civil Rights Movement? : NPR

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Schedule

The dates for this year's Advancing Justice Conference have changed! Now November 14-16, 2013, in Los Angeles. Let's go!

2013 Advancing Justice Conference » Schedule

AMERICAN CITIZENS FOR JUSTICE/ ASIAN AMERICAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE OBSERVES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE OAK CREEK SIKH TEMPLE KILLINGS AND URGES TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING

From American Citizens for Justice, inc. / Asian American Center for Justice

It was just one year ago on August 5, 2012 when white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, killing six people. Candlelight vigils were held, and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the temple later that same month. The act was described by Attorney General Eric Holder as “an act of terrorism, an act of hatred, a hate crime.”

Upon the first anniversary of this massive hate crime, American Citizens for Justice/Asian American Center for Justice (ACJ) calls upon civil rights leaders and all people to remember the incident, the victims, and to redouble their efforts to preach tolerance and understanding of people of different ethnicities and faiths.

Emma Chen, president of American Citizens for Justice, observed “We should take this opportunity to speak out on the tragic effects of unprovoked racial hatred and acts of violence, whether it occurs in our schools, places of work, or places of worship.”

Join ACJ in remembering the victims at Oak Creek, and pledging to speak for tolerance and understanding.

American Citizens for Justice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit civil rights organization devoted to advocacy and education on civil rights for Asian Americans and all people.

Why We Must Remember Oak Creek | Valarie Kaur

Great article on the one year anniversary of the Oak Creek shootings by Valarie Kaur

Why We Must Remember Oak Creek | Valarie Kaur

About APIA-Vote Michigan

If you missed  the APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27th, you can still catch up with APIAVote-Michigan's Theresa Tran's great prezi!

http://prezi.com/aftmfojb3oit/apiavote-recap/

APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27

Are you going to the APIA-Vote Michigan Third Annual Dinner July 27th? Support this great group of acfivists!

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

Chicago is the World » Justice for Trayvon, Justice for all our children

My article at Chicago is the World:

I am sitting at a beautiful airy music concert, the highlight of every summer, the Big Island Music Festival. On stage is a handsome young man, ukulele virtuoso Kris Fuchigami, with his mom playing backup on keyboard. But I cannot hear anything. The verdict comes through as I find my seat, short staccato posts on my Facebook feed, “Noooo,” “verdict fail,” “#hoodiesup.”

I wish I were surprised by the verdict, but my heart is breaking.

I am typing this out on my phone today because it could not wait.

How do we raise our sweet children of color? What do we tell them? What do we tell ourselves?

click link for rest of the article: Chicago is the World » Justice for Trayvon, Justice for all our children

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet with tag @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

Remembering the civil rights trials

Remember that there were two civil rights trials in the Vincent Chin case. The first trial found Ebens guilty of violating Vincent Chin's rights and aquitted Nitz, then it was declared a mistrial. The second trial was moved to an almost-all-white city with an all-white jury and Ebens and Nitz were acquitted.

Tweet me your thoughts @fkwang for Remembering Vincent Chin
http://rememberingvincentchin.com

Sign the NAACP Petition to the DOJ to open a civil rights case against Zimmerman. Be persistent as so many people are signing that the site keeps crashing.
http://www.naacp.org/page/s/doj-civil-rights-petition

Justice for Trayvon, Justice for all our children

I'm sitting at a beautiful airy music concert, the highlight of every summer, the Big Island Music Festival. On stage is a handsome young man, ukulele virtuoso Kris Fuchigami, with his mom playing backup on keyboard. But I cannot hear anything.

I wish I were surprised by the verdict, but my heart is breaking.

How do we raise our sweet children of color? What do we tell them? What do we tell ourselves?

Just last night, my multiracial nine year old boy--who could look like any number of ethnic stereotypes--stayed up late, refusing to sleep, waiting for me to come home. When I finally arrived home, after a long day where I had travelled to 14,000 feet altitude and back, he wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my face, "You're the best mommy in the world. Really you are."

I wrote the article below for Chicago is the World 16 months ago when the case first broke. Today it looks hopelessly naive. I wish a list of rules was enough to keep our children safe. I am lost.

I always felt some distance from the Vincent Chin case because of time and geography and age and naïveté. There is no distance today. 

My thoughts are with the Martin family. 

Chicago is the World » Lessons I do not want to teach my children–about Dharun Ravi, Trayvon Martin, Shaima Alawadi

http://chicagoistheworld.org/2012/03/lessons-i-do-not-want-to-teach-my-children-about-dharun-ravi-trayvon-martin-shaima-alawadi/

NAACP | Urge the DOJ to file civil rights charges

http://www.naacp.org/page/s/doj-civil-rights-petition

Tweet me your thoughts @fkwang for Remembering Vincent Chin
 http://rememberingvincentchin.com 

Typed this out on my phone today because it could not wait. 

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin.

Tweet your thoughts @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

an appropriate bookmark: What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

this just in from calvin ho @calvinhyj: Found an appropriate bookmark for today's reading.#rememberingvincentchin #china @fkwang @AsianArguments pic.twitter.com/0NwY19mxp9


What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet with tag @fkwang #vchin

Lots of articles and reflections last year archived at: http://www.rememberingvincentchin.com/2012_06_01_archive.html

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet with tags @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet with tags @fkwang #vchin

18MILLIONRISING, A mother’s grief can spark a movement: 31 years...

Remembering not only Vincent Chin, but his mother, Mrs. Lily Chin, too. One of my favorite quotes ever is from APALC's Stewart Kwoh who said that there may not be a lot of big flashy heroes in our community, but "There are a lot of Lily Chins." Check out 18MillionRising.org:



18MILLIONRISING, A mother’s grief can spark a movement: 31 years...

Crime Without Punishment: Why the Death of Vincent Chin Resonates Today | InCultureParent.com 2011

rerunning this article from Incultureparent.com http://www.incultureparent.com/2011/05/5009/

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Crime Without Punishment: Why the Death of Vincent Chin Resonates Today
By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang


vincent chin

Before I came to Michigan for graduate school, the only thing I knew about Michigan was that it was where Vincent Chin was killed. My parents’ Japanese-American neighbors warned me to sell my father’s Toyota 4Runner and buy a Ford Bronco. I asked about safety as much as I did about academics before I decided to come.

This year marks the 29th anniversary of the baseball bat beating that caused the death of Vincent Chin. Unfortunately, with the recession and rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, the case is even more relevant than ever.

Vincent Chin was a 27-year-old Chinese-American raised in Metro Detroit. A week before his wedding, June 19, 1982, he went to the Fancy Pants strip club in Highland Park with a few buddies for his bachelor’s party. There, they encountered two autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, who, like many at the time, blamed the Japanese for the U.S. auto industry’s troubles. Even though Chin was not Japanese and worked in the auto industry himself as a draftsman, Ebens was heard saying, “It’s because of you little m—f—s that we’re out of work,” as well as other anti-Asian racial epithets.

The men were thrown out of the bar, and the fight continued in the parking lot and into the night. Ebens and Nitz searched for Chin and his friends, and upon finding them, Nitz held Chin in a bear hug while Ebens struck Chin’s head four times with a baseball bat, cracking his skull. Vincent Chin died four days later. His wedding guests attended his funeral instead.

On March 18, 1983, Judge Charles Kaufman sentenced Ebens and Nitz to three years’ probation and a $3,000 fine, saying, “These aren’t the kind of men you send to jail. You fit the punishment to the criminal, not the crime.” This was followed by a federal civil rights trial and a civil suit. To this day, neither Ebens nor Nitz has spent a single day in jail.

Such a light sentence for such a vicious crime was a shocking wake-up call for Asian-Americans of all ethnicities who suddenly realized the brutal consequences of the “all Asians look alike” stereotype and anti-Asian slurs. Coming to America, working hard, and keeping your head down per the model minority stereotype was not enough. This could have happened to anyone.

In 2009, the State Bar of Michigan designated the Vincent Chin case as the 34th Michigan Legal Milestone. This case is credited with giving birth to the Asian-American civil rights movement and the victims rights movement. Many legal developments came out of this case that benefit all of us, including the practice of prosecutors attending sentencing hearings, victims and their families making a victim’s impact statement at sentencing, mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, understanding the sensitive nature of changing venues, the importance of the media, and the formation of Asian-American civil rights organizations.

Outgoing Mayor of Ferndale, Michigan, Craig Covey, who also installed an accompanying Vincent Chin memorial plaque by the City of Ferndale, recognized the struggles for equality throughout American history by “almost every group that has made this place home,” including Native Americans, African Americans, Chinese Americans, Irish Americans, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, gays and lesbians. He continued:

“Equal justice in America is not a given. It is not a guarantee… rather… it is a constant struggle. It takes vigilance and effort and energy. We must always strive toward fair and equal justice, knowing that it may never be fully achieved.”

© 2011 – 2013, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang. All rights reserved.

"From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: Commemorating the Vincent Chin Case."

"From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: Commemorating the Vincent Chin Case." by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang for Harvard Kennedy School Asian American Policy Review, 2010, p. 23.

isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic855678.files/2010 - AAPR.pdf

Video: Dec 2010 WXYZ News: Plaque honoring murdered Asian man, Vincent Chin, unveiled in Ferndale

Video: Dec 2010 WXYZ News: Plaque honoring murdered Asian man, Vincent Chin, unveiled in Ferndale
wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/plaque-honoring-murdered-man-unveiled-in-ferndale

Schedule | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

Check out the awesome cool #v3activism panel at 3:00 at V3con: V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA http://v3con.com/schedule/

Engaging the AAPI Community in Online Activism — JANM Education Center Classroom 2Click to Close

HASHTAG: #V3activism

Asian Americans are a growing power, but what makes a successful campaign tick? How can activists energize Asian Americans to take action on their issues? Hear from AAPI leaders who have harnessed the power of the Internet.

Speakers:

Taz Ahmed, @tazzystar

Lisa Lee,  @rrrlisarrr

Jennifer Pae, @jennpae

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, @fkwang

Phil Yu, @angryasianman

- See more at: http://v3con.com/schedule/#sthash.AuE9chbw.dpuf

Schedule | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Tweet @fkwang #vchin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin.

Who wants to go with Frances Kai-Hwa Wang to V3con: V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA?

Activist writer Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is giving away one registration to V3con: V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA!

1. Follow @fkwang on Twitter

2. Tweet what the Vincent Chin case means to you. Tag @fkwang and #vchin

3. Go to RememberingVincentChin.com (you're already here!) and Comment below what the Vincent Chin case means to you.

I'll choose a winner on Tuesday, June 11, so don't delay!

Looking forward to meeting you in LA, where I will be speaking on an activism panel "Engaging the AAPI Community in Online Activism," with Angry Asian Man Phil Yu, Taz Ahmed, Lisa Lee, and Jennifer Pae. 

More info about the conference at v3con.com!

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you? Remembering Vincent Chin.

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?

What does the Vincent Chin case mean to you?