The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Yoo, Paula. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, NY, 2021. Kindle AZW file.

On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin was looking forward to his upcoming marriage to Vikki Wong. Vincent worked at an engineering firm during the week and worked weekends at a Chinese restaurant called the Golden Star. On this Saturday night, Vincent unexpectedly got off work early and called three friends for an impromptu bachelor party. Jimmy Choi, Gary Koivu, Bob Siroskey agreed to meet him. Before leaving home, Vincent assured his mother, Lily, that he would be back soon. He and his friends went to bar called the Fancy Pants Club that featured topless dancers.

Detroit had boomed with the automotive industry until recently when foreign imports prompted the closing of many American automobile plants. Tensions against Asian Americans were often high, especially in the places hit hardest by the closing factories. On that June night in 1982, Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz also went to the Fancy Pants Club. Ebens was a foreman at one of the remaining Chrysler plants, but Nitz had been laid off previously. By June of 1982, he was working part time at a furniture store and going to school.

There were several different versions of what prompted the fight between Vincent and Ebens. Some said Ebens used racial slurs. Others said Ebens called Vincent a “motherfucker” and said he was the reason so many were laid off. The beginning of the fight was also in dispute. Ebens claimed Vincent sucker punched him in the mouth. Vincent's friends said Vincent pushed Ebens. The fight included a chair and Nitz being struck in the head, though the accounts of exactly how it happened differed. Outside, Vincent was ready to continue the fight until Nitz retrieved a baseball bat from the trunk of his car. Vincent ran. Ebens apparently turned on Choi who also ran. The two stopped at a nearby McDonald's to wait for Koivu and Siroskey to catch up to them. Ebens and Nitz found them first. Choi and Vincent ran. Nitz caught Vincent and held him until Ebens began to beat him with the bat. Two off-duty officers rushed into the fight and arrested Ebens and Nitz. Choi held Vincent as he uttered his final words.

At the police station, Ebens and Nitz were charged with second-degree murder. Nitz was released to go to the hospital for treatment for his head wound. Ebens was later released. The first judge to hear the case suggested the charge be upgraded to first-degree murder. Instead, attorneys reached a deal, and a different judge accepted pleas of guilty to manslaughter. That judge sentenced the two men to three years probation and a fine. Vincent's friends and family were outraged. They called for the judge to reconsider his sentence, but he did not change it. The public outcry continued until officials charged Ebens and Nitz with violating Vincent's Civil Rights. That trial ended with a jury finding Nitz not guilty, but finding Ebens guilty. Ebens's attorneys filed an appeal that resulted in a new trial. Ebens was found not guilty there. In a separate civil trial, Ebens was ordered to pay $1.5 million to Vincent's estate. He was fired from Chrysler after the manslaughter plea and never held another full time job, meaning he never paid any of this debt. Lily felt she could not remain in America. She returned to China until she was diagnosed with cancer. She returned to Michigan for treatment and died in 2002.

Vincent's story came to the attention of Jarod Lew, a young photographer who learned about Vincent by chance. When he began to conduct research, he discovered a photo of his mother (Vikki) with Vincent. Though Vikki said she did not want to talk about Vincent or his death, Jarod decided to do a photography project about Vincent, feeling a series of coincidences meant that Vincent was reaching out to him to keep his memory and his story alive.