Be The Change Author Talk: From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry
Glendale Library, Arts & Culture welcomes author, screenwriter, and musician Paula Yoo for a live literary event in which she will discuss From A Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement in conversation with Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn on Thursday, May 20 at 6:30pm. Register for the event here.
From A Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a groundbreaking portrait of Vincent Chin and the murder case that took America's Asian American community to the streets in protest of injustice. America in 1982, Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting American autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti-Asian American sentiments simmer, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving Vincent Chin - a Chinese American man - beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years' probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage in the Asian American community. This outrage galvanized the Asian American movement and paved the way for a new federal civil rights trial of the case. Extensively researched from court transcripts and interviews with key case witnesses-many speaking for the first time - Yoo has crafted a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn is a journalist, author, and essayist covering women, culture, and media. She contributes to Ms. Magazine and Shondaland Digital Media, among others.
Check out From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry with your Glendale Library card in person or using our Contactless Pickup Services. Signed copies of From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry are also available for purchase from our partner, Once Upon A Time Bookstore. For questions or comments, you may contact the Library via email at LibraryInfo@GlendaleCA.gov or give us a call at 818-548-2021.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the 2020-2021 Be The Change Series.. Keep an eye out for more events.
The Be the Change series is focused on inclusion, diversity, equity, and antiracism. Be the Change events will build collective understanding of systemic racism, elevate the voices and stories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and inspire our community to be the change. The series is led by Glendale Library, Arts & Culture in partnership with the Southern California Library Cooperative and Outlook Newspapers. The series is sponsored by the City of Glendale Arts and Culture Commission, with funding from the City of Glendale Urban Art Fund.