(Live/In-Person) “Kung Flu”: A History of Violence and Hostility against Asian Americans

Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

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  • Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 10,000 incidents of violence and hostility against Asian Americans nationwide.  But this is nothing new, for there is a long and little-known history of anti-Asian violence in this country — from the lynching of 15 Chinese in Los Angeles in 1871 to the expulsion of all the South Asian residents of Bellingham, Washington in 1907 to five days of rioting and attacks against Filipino men in Watsonville, California in 1930.  More recently, in a suburb of Detroit in 1982, Vincent Chin, a 27-year old Chinese immigrant who was to be married the following week, was beaten to death with a baseball bat by two autoworkers.  And in 1981, in Galveston Bay, local fishermen brought in the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate Vietnamese fishermen, refugees who had resettled in the Gulf following the fall of Saigon.

    Likewise, the recent rhetoric about the “China virus” and “Kung Flu” is not the first time Asian Americans have been targeted over purported health concerns.  In 1870, San Francisco passed two health ordinances that were enforced only against the “Chinese and Asiatics.”  In 1900, amidst fears of the bubonic plague, San Francisco required “the inoculation of all Chinese residents” and quarantined Chinatown. The ordinances were not applied to members of any other groups.

    This program examines the history of anti-Asian violence and hostility through narration, reenactment of court proceedings, and historic photos.  Asian Americans did not hesitate to fight for their rights in the courts, and these cases raised issues that were — and still are — important to all Americans.

    Program Fee:
    Free for Members | $50 for Nonmembers
    Asian American Bar Association of New York members please CLICK HERE to register.

  • John Bajit, Associate Court Attorney, NYC Civil Court, Queens County
    Vincent T. Chang, Partner, Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP
    Yang Chen, Executive Director, Asian American Bar Association of New York
    Denny Chin, United States Circuit Judge, United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    Francis Chin, Senior Administrator, Brooklyn Law School
    Kathy Hirata Chin, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
    Anna Mercado Clark, Partner, Phillips Lytle LLP
    Andrew T. Hahn, General Counsel, Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP
    Linda S. Lin, General Counsel, ProSight Specialty Insurance
    Kiyo A. Matsumoto, United States District Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
    Concepcion A. Montoya, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
    Yasuhiro Saito, Managing Partner, Saito Law Group PLLC
    Ona T. Wang, United States Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
    David Weinberg, Chief Executive Officer, JuryGroup

    City Bar Guest Star
    Sheila S. Boston, Partner, Arnold & Porter, and President, City Bar

  • I.Introduction

    II.Background

    III.Historic Hostility and Violence

    A.Mob Violence

    1. The Los Angeles Massacre of 1871

    2. Rock Springs Massacre of 1885

    3. Hells Canyon Massacre of 1887

    4. Watsonville Riots of 1930

    B.Expulsions

    1.Eureka, California — 1885

    2.Seattle, Washington — 1886

    3.Bellingham, Washington — 1907

    C.Governmental Discrimination

    1.The Pigtail Ordinance Case

    2.The Bubonic Plague Cases

    IV.Modern Day Discrimination

    A.Building Our Legacy: The Murder of Vincent Chin

    B.The Vietnamese Fishermen v. The Ku Klux Klan

    V.Conclusion

    Discussion and Q&A

  • New York: 1.5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias
    New Jersey: 1.5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias
    California: 1.5 Elimination of Bias
    Pennsylvania: 1.0 Professional Responsibility
    Connecticut: Available to Licensed Attorneys

  • Co-Sponsoring Organization:
    The Asian American Bar Association of New York
    The Office for Diversity and Inclusion

    Co-Sponsoring Committee
    Asian Affairs,  Dih-Lin Wong, Chair
    Civil Rights, Kevin Jason & Kathleen Rubenstein, Co-Chairs
    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Robert Marchman and Matthew Morningstar, Co-Chairs
    Legal History, Alan W. Borst, Jr., Chair

    Sponsorship Opportunities are Available! Please Contact:
    Yelena Balashchenko, Manager, Business Development & Sponsorships | (212) 382-6608 | ybalashchenko@nycbar.org

Register for the Live/In-Person Program

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