May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month and the Traverse Area District Library is inviting our community to help recognize the contributions, achievements, and identities of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) that have helped shape America’s development into a richly multicultural society.
Each event will have light refreshments featuring local AAPI food vendors, along with an engaging conversation on identity, culture, and experiences in Traverse City.
Monday, May 16, 2022: Vincent Who? (5:30—8:00pm) Register here
In 1982, at the height of anti-Japanese sentiments arising from massive layoffs in the auto industry, a Chinese-American named Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit by two white autoworkers. Chin’s killers, however, got off with a $3,000 fine and 3 years probation, but no jail time. Outraged by this injustice, Asian Americans around the country united for the first time across ethnic and socioeconomic lines to form a pan-Asian identity and civil rights movement. Ultimately, Vincent Who? asks how far Asian Americans have come since the case and how far they have yet to go. For in spite of Vincent Chin’s monumental significance in both the Asian American experience and the civil rights history of America, the vast majority of people today (including most Asian Americans) have little or no knowledge of him.
Monday, May 23, 2022: Community Discussion Panel (5:30—8:00pm) Register here
Community Panel Discussion with:
- Sakura Takano, Rotary Charities of Traverse City
- Amy Yee, Amy Yee Bodyworks
- Craig Hadley, Dennos Museum at NMC
- Tony Vu, The Good Bowl
- Denny Nguyen, NMC
along with moderators Judy Chu, NMC and Holly T. Bird, Northern Michigan E3 & Title Track
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