Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Vincent Chin's story is one of the most important — and most painful — chapters in Asian American history, and I think every American should know it. He was a 27-year-old draftsman in Detroit, just days away from his wedding, when two white autoworkers beat him to death with a baseball bat in 1982, reportedly blaming "the Japanese" for the auto industry's decline — never mind that Chin was Chinese American. What followed was almost as devastating: neither man served a single day in prison for his murder. That injustice lit a fire under the Asian American community and galvanized a civil rights movement that had been largely invisible to mainstream America. The 1987 documentary "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" brought his story to a national audience and earned an Academy Award nomination. His name became a rallying cry, and it still is — a reminder that racism doesn't ask for your actual identity before it strikes.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Vincent Chin
- Name (Japanese)
- ビンセント・チン
- Reading
- びんせんと・ちん
- Born
- May 18, 1955 – June 23, 1982
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Goat
- Origin
- Guangdong, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- Public figure
2. Background
- High school
- Oak Park High School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Vincent Chin born?
May 18, 1955 – June 23, 1982.
Where is Vincent Chin from?
Vincent Chin is from Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
What does Vincent Chin do?
Vincent Chin works as Public figure.
Public figure — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.