Tonight on One Detroit:

Earlier this month, One Detroit hosted a virtual town hall called How We Got Here: The Asian American Experience in Metro Detroit. 

We talked about an array of issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders here including the legacy of Vincent Chin.

Chin was killed in 1982 but the perpetrators did not serve any time in prison.

That incident sparked activism by Asian Americans demanding justice, but where are we now with a rise in anti-Asian hate across the country and how far have we come?

One Detroit’s Bill Kubota talks with Roland Hwang, Jim Shimoura—two attorneys that were key in the fight for justice that united Asian Americans in the 1980s and author, Paula Yoo, who’s written a new book, “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement.”

In the town hall, we also addressed issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as incidents of attacks against Asians have been rising across the country.

Town hall panelists, Jasmine Rivera of Rising Voices of Asian American Families, State Representative Ranjeev Puri and Macomb County Commissioner Mai Xiong shared their thoughts on how the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities can get better footing socio-economically and politically in Metro Detroit. Rep. Puri lives in Canton and is the first elected Sikh American in Michigan’s legislative history.

He said, “I am the first person of color, actually, to hold this seat and this is one of the most diverse areas in Michigan.”

Commissioner Xiong, who is Hmong American and from Warren said, “I’ve lived here for eighteen years, and I didn’t see anyone in my community that reflected me.”

Jasmine Rivera, also a filmmaker helping tell stories of Detroit area Asian Americans said, “Our generations are beginning to transform into a group that is becoming more and more entrenched into the American identity.”

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