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The MuseumUpcoming Events
Kids’ Storytime
Join the Chinese American Museum and Ms. Rita from the Los Angeles Public Library’s Chinatown branch for this month’s Kids’ Storytime on Tuesday, June 24, at 4pm PDT. Ms Rita will be reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li.
This book is suitable for ages 4-8, though we welcome children of all ages with parental supervision!
This program is hosted virtually on Zoom.
“Kids’ Storytime featuring Asian American Authors” is hosted in partnership with the Chinatown Branch Library.
About the book:
Emma Wen, a quiet child from a loud and boisterous family, wishes for nothing more than a peaceful and quiet world. Emma finds inspiration in the blue whale — a creature with a heart so big that her father could stand in it — and decides to move into its mouth! However, a boy named Owen Tang soon arrives. His presence is loud, noisy, and everything Emma dislikes! Despite their differences, Emma and Owen form an unlikely bond in the world of their whale.
About the author:
Xin Li is an author and illustrator born and raised in China. After graduating from Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing with a graphic design degree, Xin left China for the first time and lived in various countries, including Denmark and Uganda. Living outside of her homeland inspired her to paint and write stories that could make sense of a world often lost in translation. Xin now lives in in Norway with her husband and daughter, working as a full-time illustrator. She illustrated for several notable authors including Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking’s You and the Universe, Sam Hay’s The Star Maker’s Apprentice, and Mackenzie Porter’s You Are Home. I Lived Inside a Whale is Xin Li’s first written work.
Commemorating Vincent Chin
Join the Chinese American Museum for Commemorating the Murder of Vincent Chin on Monday, June 23, from 5 PM to 7 PM at the El Pueblo Historic Monument. This annual gathering honors the life and legacy of Vincent Chin, whose senseless murder in 1982 became a pivotal moment that galvanized the Asian American civil rights movement.
The evening will feature:
- Remarks from distinguished guest speakers as of June 6th, including LA County Commission of Human Relations Executive Director, Robin Toma, Poet, Professor of Asian American Studies and Community Activist, Michelle Myers, Professor of Asian American History at East Los Angeles College, Aki Maehara, and Friends of the Chinese American Museum Board Chair, Dr. Gay Yuen.
- A solemn candlelight vigil in remembrance of Vincent Chin.
- Spoken word performances honoring Vincent Chin and others impacted by racial injustice. Performing artists include arianna lady basco, jason chu, MADIMA, MaJik, Ashley C. Lanuza, and Taz Ahmed.
More than four decades later, Vincent Chin’s story continues to serve as an urgent call to confront racism, violence, and injustice in all forms. His legacy reminds us that the struggle for equity and inclusion is ongoing.
This event is free and open to the public—no RSVP is required.
This event is part of CAM’s ongoing series, Advancing Equality: Conversations on Civil Rights Protections, co-presented by the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative, as part of their National Conversation on Race series.
More about the tragic murder of Vincent Chin:
On June 23, 1982, Vincent Chin was violently beaten to death by two white men, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, in a racially motivated attack. The tragedy occurred against the backdrop of economic downturn in the United States wherein many Americans in the auto industry were laid off and they blamed the Japanese auto industry for their plight. Vincent Chin’s assailants, Ebens and Nitz, never served jail time and walked free with minimal fines for the senseless murder. The verdict of Chin’s murder trial was perceived as a gross miscarriage of justice and highlighted the racial inequities within the American legal system and further galvanized the Asian American community in its aftermath—leading to widespread advocacy for justice and brought attention to issues of racial violence and discrimination.