Who Killed Vincent Chin Lesson Plan: Civil Rights Activism for Vincent Chin

On a hot summer night in Detroit in 1982, Ronald Ebens, an autoworker, killed Vincent Chin, a young Chinese American draftsman with a baseball bat. Although he confessed, he never spent a day in jail. This gripping Academy Award-nominated film relentlessly probes the implications of the murder, for the families of those involved, and for the American justice system. Who Killed Vincent Chin?, a legacy title from POV’s archives, was recently restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and also added to the National Film Registry. Best Documentary Nominee, 61st Annual Academy Awards. A co-presentation with Detroit Public Television and the Center for Asian American Media.

This lesson provides a framework for critical analysis of a racially motivated killing, the American justice system, and activism through the Vincent Chin case. Students will gain an understanding of the importance of the Vincent Chin case as it pertains to hate crime laws, the American justice system, and Asian American civil rights activism. They will first enter the lesson by considering what they know about hate crimes through a journal prompt and discussion. Next, they will learn about federal hate crime laws enforced by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from a reading. Then students will apply this knowledge to the Vincent Chin case by examining evidence from the film clips to prove that the killers committed a hate crime. Through a “chalk talk” activity students will respond to one another’s analysis and opinions about the case. Next, students will examine a quote made by Judge Kaufman explaining why he decided to sentence the killers Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz to no jail time. Finally, they will write a support statement speech as if they were going to participate in the Justice for Vincent Chin demonstration by using all the information they analyzed in the film clips and activities.