Activism
Juneteenth and the Asian American Hate Crime of Vincent Chin
On Juneteenth, there was a lesson for everyone in America when pro-slavery forces couldn’t prevent all of the U.S. from getting the truth. Never give up hope. The truth does win out. That’s why Juneteenth is as close as Asian Americans get to a national holiday commemorating the fight against anti-Asian American violence.
By Emil Guillermo
On Juneteenth, there was a lesson for everyone in America when pro-slavery forces couldn’t prevent all of the U.S. from getting the truth. Never give up hope. The truth does win out.
That’s why Juneteenth is as close as Asian Americans get to a national holiday commemorating the fight against anti-Asian American violence.
I’m not taking anything away from Juneteenth.
I’m adding to it.
You’ve got to admit it’s a strange holiday.
To be true to the spirit of Juneteenth, maybe we should celebrate it not on June 19, but maybe on the 29th.
Or just put it off for three years.
That would adequately mock what actually happened. The Emancipation Proclamation, announced on Sept. 22, 1862, was the beginning of the end slavery when it went into effect 100 days later on Jan. 1, 1863.
But no one told the slaves in Texas until June 19, 1865— two-and-a-half years later.
Paperwork error? Slow wi-fi? Whites were so reluctant to give up the immoral activity of slavery in Texas they gaslighted the Emancipation Proclamation.
I remember hearing about Juneteenth when I lived in the Lone Star state in the ’70s and ’80s. (Not the 1870s, the 1970s and 1980s.)
But isn’t it amazing how the push to make it a national holiday didn’t succeed until 2021? 156 years after 1865.
And even when the holiday was announced, most people still happily lived in ignorance. A Gallup survey found that more than 60% of Americans know “nothing at all” or only “a little bit” about Juneteenth.
What you need to know is that 14 House Republicans voted against the holiday in 2021. For the most part, it’s the same group mucking things up for current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who deserves to be mucked up, but for other reasons, not Juneteenth.
And so, for the record, this is the original Congressional Juneteenth Hall of Shame: the Republicans who voted against the federal holiday, which leaves them looking like pro-slavery Republicans
Mo Brooks (AL), Andy Biggs (AZ), Andrew Clyde (GA), Scott DesJarlais (TN), Paul Gosar (AZ), Ronny Jackson (TX), Doug LaMalfa (CA), Thomas Massie (KY), Tom McClintock (CA), Ralph Norman (NC), Mike Rogers (AL), Matt Rosendale (MT), Chip Roy (TX), Tom Tiffany (WI).
These are the same folks who want to stop the teaching of U.S. history claiming it’s “critical race theory.” Of course, It’s nothing of the sort. The holiday simply makes us appreciate that truth and justice eventually do win out.
The good forces have worked overtime to bend that arc of justice since Juneteenth.
That’s why it’s a federal holiday and a day off for many, a reminder to stay vigilant forever.
THE VINCENT CHIN COINCIDENCE
So, we respect Juneteenth, but one particular coincidence of justice delayed must be pointed out that took place on June 19, 1982.
That’s when Vincent Chin, attending his own bachelor party, crossed paths with Ronald Ebens in a strip club in Detroit.
Ebens, a white auto worker in an industry under siege by Japanese imports, saw Chin, and his brain must have registered “Japanese,” even though Chin was Chinese American.
I asked Ebens about this in 2012 and he denies the racial subtext of the incident: “It had nothing to do with the auto industry or Asians or anything else. Never did, never will. I could have cared less about that. That’s the biggest fallacy of the whole thing.”
Really? Chin’s friends, who were there, testified to the contrary.
Ebens may have told me all that to lessen the racial aspect. But he couldn’t deny the most important fact.
After leaving the strip club, he hunted down Chin, found him, and then swung the bat at Chin’s head resulting in his death.
Now 41 years after, Ebens has never served time for the murder.
Nor has Ebens – ordered to pay $1.5 million to the Chin family in a wrongful death settlement–ever paid his debt to the Chin family.
It’s justice denied and delayed for the Chin family.
And Ebens knows he’s at fault for all of it.
“I’m as much to blame,” he admitted to me about Chin’s death. “I should’ve been smart enough to just call it a day. After [Chin and his friends] started to disperse, it was time to get in the car and go home.”
But he didn’t.
Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, got to Chin in that McDonalds parking lot, and as Nitz stood behind Chin, Ebens swung the bat and delivered the fatal blow.
“I went over that a hundred, maybe a thousand times in my mind the last 30 years,” Ebens told me in 2012. “It doesn’t make any sense of any kind that I would swing a bat at his head when my stepson is right behind him. That makes no sense at all.”
The murder doesn’t make sense. Nor does the application of justice, which has only benefitted Chin’s killer.
Chin was in a coma at the Henry Ford Hospital on June 19th, the 20th, the 21st, the 22nd, and then on the 23rd, he didn’t wake up.
But an entire generation of Asian Americans did.
For those born in the Civil Rights Era, Chin was the call to social justice, an awakening. It was just the first wave.
Since then, the Asian American population has grown to more than 23 million people. And now, a new generation is discovering the impact and the importance of the Chin case, at a time when hate crimes against Asian Americans have exploded.
What we learn is our solidarity and common ground with others in America’s BIPOC communities. The most famous hate crime in Asian American history is connected to the very day, Juneteenth. It’s a sign.
In cases of justice denied and delayed, Juneteenth gives us hope.
Emil Guillermo is a veteran Bay Area journalist and commentator. He does a reality talk show on www.amok.com
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System
Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.
By Carla Thomas
San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).
Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.
“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”
According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.
“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”
Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.
SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.
Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.
Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.
Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.
Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.
“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.
This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
Activism
Oakland Ambassadors Strengthen Ties and Aid Efforts in Ghana
Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana. This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.
By Post Staff
Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana.
This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.
Upon their arrival at Katota Airport in Accra, Ghana, the Joneses were warmly received by His Royal Majesty Okatakyie Asafo Boakye III, the distinguished king of Sanzule Kingdom in the Eastern Nzema, and Etse Nyamedi of World Martial Authority, Ghana.
Nyamedi accompanied the Joneses to the city of Mepe, which had recently experienced flooding, to assess damages and engage with local leaders, elders, and youth regarding the city’s urgent needs after major floods last fall.
Key concerns and priorities identified by the community include comprehensive flood mitigation measures, agricultural support, housing initiatives, educational enhancements, improved healthcare access, and the development of communal recreational spaces.
The Joneses were also graciously invited to meet with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their headquarters in Accra. This meeting provided insights into ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ghana and explored avenues for collaboration to further assist Ghanaian communities.
The LDS leaders shared their prompt response to the recent flood, demonstrating their commitment to humanitarian aid by dispatching substantial supplies including medical provisions, sanitation items, blankets, and food to assist flood victims just four days after the disaster.
Additionally, Boakye extended a special invitation to the Joneses to his palace, where they were pleasantly surprised with a heartfelt recognition ceremony. Maritony Jones was honored as the Queen Mother of the Sanzule Kingdom in acknowledgment of her dedicated work, while Jonathan Jones was lauded and welcomed as the ambassador of the Sanzule Kingdom, symbolizing a meaningful homecoming to their ancestral land.
The visit not only strengthens ties between Oakland and Ghana but also underscores the collaborative spirit and commitment to meaningful progress and humanitarian endeavors shared by all involved parties.
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