WSU School of Law Dean Frank Wu delivered the keynote address at The Center for the Study of Citizenship on March 27 at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.
Wu, author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," was one of 30 speakers and scholars at the three-day "Boundaries of Citizenship" conference. The goal of the conference was to examine the concept of citizenship from different academic disciplines.
"These events work to maintain connections between people that are so necessary to engaged citizenship, especially in democracies," said Marc Kruman, director of the Center for the Study of Citizenship.
"Ultimately, this is the kind of thing that has the potential to shape policy. It's a chance to hear what people, who are on the cutting edge of scholarship say about the kinds of memberships in societies."
The center sponsored the event. Kruman is also chair of the History Department.
Boundaries of Citizenship explored physical and conceptual boundaries that shape the recognition and exercise of citizenship. These boundaries evoke issues beyond those of traditional legal categories.
Wu captivated his audience with an eloquent oration on historical events in Detroit that developed a racial consciousness that set the context for a notorious 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man. Chin was killed by Ronald Ebens, a Chrysler plant superintendent, and his stepson following a fight instigated by Ebens.
Ebens made a derogatory remark referring to U.S. auto manufacturing jobs being lost to Japan, despite the fact that Chin was not Japanese. Ultimately, Chin was clubbed to death in Highland Park.
Wu described Asian Americans as being "the perpetual foreigner" and "anonymous" in American society. The murder of Vincent Chin generated public outrage over the lenient sentencing the two culprits originally received in a plea bargain. Many people believed the attack to be racially motivated.
According to Wu, the Chin verdict angered the Asian American community in the Detroit area and around the country. Journalist Helen Zia and lawyer Liza Cheuk May Chan later led the fight for federal charges.
The 1984 federal civil rights case against the men found Ebens guilty of murder and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Ebens' stepson was acquitted of the charges. After an appeal, Ebens' conviction was overturned on a legal technicality in 1986.
Wu offered his audience some food for thought by identifying complexities such as race being both problematic as well as a unifying factor and explored factors related to the Chin murder trial that extended beyond race.
"The Chin case brought all people together because he was part of the same economic predicament as everyone else," Wu said. "It is a symbol of standing up and speaking out."
The Center for the Study of Citizenship strives to be the premier global institution dedicated to the interdisciplinary study and promotion of engaged citizenship. The center encourages analysis of the relationship between citizens and the political, social, economic and cultural communities.
On March 18, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama reminded Americans that his father is African and his mother is white. His speech on race demonstrated empathy of both black and white issues-from African Americans who grew up in a segregated America and
white immigrants who had to struggle to fight for the American dream while the amount of jobs are perceived to be shrinking.
"In a presidential election year, this year's theme is especially timely," said Aaron Retish, WSU professor of Russian history in a press release.
