Detroit Street Sign Named After Vincent Chin Unveiled 43-Years After His Racially-Motivated Murder

Cass and Peterboro in the Cass Corridor (Deadline Detroit photo)

Vincent Chin was murdered in a racially charged incident 43 years ago. His death became a rallying point for Asian Americans fighting bigotry and discrimination.

Last Monday, supporters gathered to unveil a new street sign added at the intersection of Peterboro and Cass in Detroit, in a neighborhood that was once a bustling Chinatown. In recent years, restaurants have opened in the area, with some aiming to revive Detroit's Chinatown.

Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press writes:

The ceremony on Monday, June 23, featured some of the activists who fought for justice in Chin’s case after he was beaten in June 1982 by two autoworkers. Witnesses alleged the men made derogatory remarks about Asian Americans, saying it was because of people like Chin that they were out of work. He died four days later, on June 23, 1982. The case is seen as the beginning of the modern Asian American movement—a cause that continues to resonate today amid concerns over prejudice against Chinese Americans and others.

The autoworkers mistakenly believed Chin was Japanese, at a time when some Americans blamed Japan for harming the U.S. auto industry. Chin was of Chinese descent.