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Dale Minami on the Chin Case & the Japanese American Redress Movement
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Dale Minami, a civil rights lawyer, was one of the leading activists in the Japanese American Redress Movement, which sought reparations for Japanese Americans who were ordered into internment camps during World War II. Shaped by his critical involvement in this movement and other Asian American civil rights cases, Minami offers his seasoned perspective on the Vincent Chin case and other thorny questions concerning the Asian American community.

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The Vincent Chin Case

How did you first learn about Vincent Chin, and what was your reaction?

How did the Vincent Chin case go from being a mainly Chinese American case to something more pan-Asian?

At the end of the Vincent Chin case, both Ebens and Nitz were acquitted. Given this terrible defeat, would it not be better to forget the case and focus on more positive issues?

There were other hate crimes committed against Asians at the time. Why do you think the Vincent Chin case in particular has resonated so powerfully?

What is the organizational legacy of Vincent Chin?

What do you think was Vincent Chin's biggest influence?

What are the consequences of different Asian ethnic groups not being allied together during times of crisis (as in Japanese internment and the L.A. riots)?

Why did other Asian ethnic groups not support Japanese Americans when they were being sent off to internment camps?

Could you comment on the Japanese American community's reaction in post-9/11 when the rights of Arab Americans and South Asians were being threatened?

The Japanese American Redress Movement

What was the Japanese American Redress Movement?

The Japanese American Redress Movement began 30 years after the internment camp experience and 40 years after you became involved. Why was it important to seek redress after such a long period of time for you personally and for Japanese Americans?

What does the Japanese internment experience teach us about the importance of having political power, and how does that lesson relate to the Vincent Chin case?

Do you see parallels between the struggle to seek redress for Fred Korematsu and the movement to seek racial justice for Vincent Chin?

You've been involved in some very significant litigation involving the civil rights of Asian Americans. In these struggles, what have been the most important lessons you've learned?

The Asian American Community

In the Asian American community, leaders will emerge during a critical time, but then seem to disappear from the limelight afterwards. One might conclude that our community seems unable to maintain a sustained leadership over time. Would you agree?

How do we engage today's youth when our different generations are not sharing the same conversation, when issues that concern older generations may not resonate with younger generations?

African Americans, Latino Americans, and the LGBT community have political objectives that they can rally around and fight for. Do Asian Americans have galvanizing issues that they can get fired up about?

How can we connect more Asian Americans into a larger progressive movement?

Where can Asian Americans have the most impact? Where can the source of the most power come from?

How can activists avoid burn-out?

Given the dangers of burn-out or discouragement, how do we prepare young activists for the long haul?