[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 20, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H3812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MURDER OF VINCENT CHIN
(Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, 30 years ago, Vincent Chin, a young Chinese
American engineer, was celebrating his impending wedding in Detroit,
Michigan, when two unemployed autoworkers started shouting at him,
saying, ``It is you Japanese who are taking away our jobs.'' They
chased him down and bashed his head in with a baseball bat. Vincent's
murderers were only punished with a $3,000 fine and got off without
even spending a day in jail. In the meanwhile, instead of going to his
wedding, Vincent's family went to his funeral.
This injustice led to the emergence of a national Asian Pacific
American identity and movement. This week, as chair of the
Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus, I will be introducing a resolution
on the significance of the 30th anniversary of Vincent's death. His
story remains an important reminder of why we must always combat the
dangers of xenophobia and scapegoating.
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