📣 REGULAR REGISTRATION for #OCACON is now open until June 15th! This is your chance to be part of an unforgettable experience. By registering, you’ll gain access to exclusive luncheons, dinner events, and a seat at the prestigious Awards Gala.
Be a Part of the Seattle Convention Volunteer Team
🤝 Be a part of the OCA National Convention Volunteer Team! Eager to support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities? Interested in being at the center of an extraordinary event? We invite you to volunteer with us! Experience isn’t necessary – we’ve got all the training covered.
đź‘‹ Connect with others, contribute to meaningful causes, and help us make this convention one for the books. Sign up to volunteer at bit.ly/ocaconvol2025
Want to fund your community project and make an impact? The President’s Circle Initiative is your chance! Submit a proposal to receive funding for community-building and advocacy projects—and pitch your vision to donors at the 2025 OCA National Convention in Seattle! 🌟
🔹 Chapters must have a $1,000+ funder in the Circle to qualify
🔹 Submit your proposal now: bit.ly/2025pciproposal
🔹 Learn more: bit.ly/joinocapci
Don’t miss this opportunity to amplify your chapter’s voice! 💪🏽✨
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We are looking for AANHPI perspectives on how recent executive orders have impacted different members of the community. We are looking to collect stories from community members and organizations on how they currently rely on federal programs, such as health care, social security, and language access or adversely impacted by policy changes to immigration, education, equity and inclusion, and beyond. We would be grateful for your perspective on these federal changes if you have them and also if you could support us in sharing our storybank with your partners, members, and community.
For 50 years, OCA has been a powerful voice for our communities, growing and evolving—from the Organization of Chinese Americans to OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates. But our true strength comes from you—our members, volunteers, and supporters who have shaped this journey.
We want to celebrate your experiences, your impact, and the stories that connect us. Whether you've been with OCA for decades or just joined, your voice matters. Take a moment to share your story and be part of the legacy we continue to build together!These testimonials will play a vital role in our storytelling efforts, helping us highlight the impact of OCA through our members' voices.
Your story could be featured in IMAGE Magazine, on our social media, or in our monthly newsletter!
After seven years in the making, Awake in the Floating City—a debut novel by OCA - San Francisco Chapter President April Yee's cousin, Susanna Kwan,—is arriving May 13 from Pantheon. Set in a rain-flooded future San Francisco, this moving story follows Bo, an artist adrift, and Mia, her 130-year-old neighbor, exploring themes of memory, caregiving, and love in the face of loss.
You can support this heartfelt debut by pre-ordering from bookshop.com or your favorite local bookstore, requesting it at your library, or spreading the word. Signed copies are available through Green Apple Books. More info and events on the author’s website!
On April 5, 2025, OCA National, in collaboration with Viet Place Collective, MAUVSA, SEARAC, Together We Thrive, NCAPA, Eden Center, and Georgetown VSA, put on an outdoor film screening of New Wave, a documentary by Elizabeth Ai at the historic Eden Center in Falls Church, VA. New Wave tells the untold story of rebellious Vietnamese American teens expressing themselves through New Wave music while following and resonating with Ai’s own reckoning of intergenerational trauma as a mother, daughter, niece, and filmmaker. More than 100 attendees filled the seats and enjoyed free popcorn, a meet-and-greet, book signing, Q&A session with Elizabeth, and headed to Wild Days DC afterward to enjoy New Wave music DJ’d by DC’s own Les the DJ.
"We Are Not OK: Motherhood, Mental Health, and the Quest to Break Intergenerational Trauma" Recap
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Vietnam War, three Vietnamese-American women joined together in conversation to explore themes of identity, resilience, and intergenerational trauma. This virtual discussion on April 21, 2025, brought together Elizabeth Ai, whose empowering documentary New Wave celebrates the vibrant Vietnamese American youth culture of the 1980s, and Susan Lieu, whose stirring memoir The Manicurist's Daughter delves into diasporic loss and healing. Hosted by OCA Executive Director Thu Nguyen, they together offered a compelling dialogue on storytelling, heritage, and the power of art to bridge generations.
In Conversation with Susan Lieu - The Manicurist’s Daughter: A Memoir
We had a great time with Susan Lieu, author of her newest memoir, The Manicurist's Daughter, on April 26th at American University! In conversation with her was OCA Executive Director, Thu Nguyen, where they discussed shared experiences of growing up in a nail salon, healing from familial trauma, passing down Vietnamese culture and heritage to the next generation, and reframing concepts of the, "American Dream."
April Donors
Thank you to our April donors, Amy Wipfler, Ray Chao, and Andrew Lee, for your generous contributions towards the President's Circle Initiative! Your contributions directly support local OCA chapter programs and projects that impact AANHPI communities around the country.
PRESS RELEASES & STATEMENTS
OCA Condemns Trump Administration’s Attack on Immigrants, Voters, and Students with Dangerous and Unjust Policies
OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates condemns the President’s abuse of power, which endangers civil rights, democracy, and the fundamental freedoms of immigrant, marginalized, and historically oppressed communities. Click here to read more.
OCA Condemns House’s Vote to Suppress Voting Rights OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates strongly opposes the House-passed SAVE Act, warning that it needlessly restricts voting access under the pretense of addressing noncitizen voting. Click here to read more.
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
APABA-DC 10th Annual Trial Reenactment
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OCA is proud to be a community partner for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area's 10th Annual Trial Reenactment. This year will feature 14 federal and local AAPI judges re-enacting Chy Lung v. Freeman, an 1875 Supreme Court case about 22 Chinese women who were detained by Californian immigration authorities as “lewd women”, because they had sailed to the United States without their husbands. Their case resulted in landmark decisions affirming the due process rights of immigrants, and the immigration powers of the federal government. The reenactment and accompanying reception will take place at the D.C. Court of Appeals Historic Courthouse located at 430 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Please plan to arrive at the Courthouse no later than 5:45 pm to clear security.  The door to the ceremonial courtroom will open shortly after 6 pm, the reception will follow the re-enactment. This event, and the accompanying reception, is free, but registration is required.
FREE Virtual College Prep Program for Class of 2026 by Greater NY Chinese Dollars for Scholars
Monthly workshops and office hours from June–December are led by a Chinese Dollars for Scholars alumna who worked in admissions at the UCs, Cornell, and NYU, was a long-serving interviewer for Penn, and has a BS from Wharton and MSEd from Penn GSE. We’re proud of our Class of 2025, who received offers from Harvard, Brown (QuestBridge Match), NYU Stern (Full Four-Year Scholarship), Princeton, Vanderbilt, UMichigan, Yale, Cornell, UCLA, Cooper Union, Macaulay Honors College, and more!
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The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative (USWAI) is intended to assist fiction and nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and journalists in addressing short-term financial emergencies. To be eligible, applicants must be professional writers based in the United States, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported. Grant decisions are made on a quarterly basis by a volunteer committee of literary peers in consultation with PEN America staff.Â
Writers currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are also not eligible. Writers do not have to be Members of PEN America to receive a grant, but all recipients of emergency funding will be given a complimentary one-year PEN America membership.Â
Help us update our OCA Intern Alumni Directory
We are requesting all OCA National internship program alumni to fill out the OCA Intern Alumni Directory Form to help us update our internal database so we can stay in touch with our intern alumni from the last 35Â years. Fill out the form.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
OCA - San Mateo Chapter
On April 23, 2025, OCA - San Mateo was a participant at Thrive OnBoard 2025 which brought together more than 50 inspiring nonprofit exhibitors and over 260 passionate community members in the beautiful CZI Community Space in Redwood City. The event was a powerful reminder of the strength of collective action, with conversations and relationships that sparked reflection and purpose. Participants shared the same purpose of connecting, learning, and exploring ways to create meaningful impact.
April 28, 2025 was AANHPI Advocacy Day in Sacramento, CA. Over 100 AANHPI organizations signed on to participate and 200+ individuals came together and met with over 100 legislators to push for the 5 top issues of importance to AANHPIs across the state. The picture shown is at State Senator Josh Becker's Office with legislative aide, Ms. Bertadillo, with the State Capitol in the background.
OCA - St. Louis Chapter
International Institute St. Louis - Race for Refugees OCA - St. Louis Chapter is honored to be able to be a sponsor for International Institute St. Louis’s Race for Refugees. The Race for Refugees celebrates multiculturalism and raises funds that help support first-touch services for refugees and immigrants. The day of April 19 was rainy and wet, but our team was committed to showing support for immigrants and refugees in our community.
AANHPI Pulse Check
OCA - St. Louis was thrilled to be on the steering committee for a AANHPI health and cancer education event on April 25. Hosted by the American Cancer Society at Worldwide Technologies, this was the first of a three part summit dedicated to creating an AANHPI community health plan. This  series that will bring together multi-disciplinary organizations, biological services, behavioral sciences and population research.
OCA - Greater Chicago Chapter
APIA-U: Leadership on April 26, 2025
OCA - Greater Chicago and JACL National Youth Student Council hosted Creating Community Through Conversation, an APIA-U: Leadership workshop on mental health and self-care, sponsored by State Farm.
Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islanders Heritage Month Community Kickoff & Business Expo on May 1, 2025
OCA - Greater Chicago hosted the 2025 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Heritage Month Community Kickoff, which OCA has been hosting annually for over 25 years, and the 2nd Annual Asian American Business Expo with Asian American Chamber of Illinois, at BMO Bank, our venue sponsor.
We received a proclamation from Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, designating May 2025 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Illinois.
OCA - Greater Los Angeles
OCA - Greater Los Angeles (OCA - GLA) community outreach grows from a "Garden of Possibilities." OCA - GLA recently launched activities designed to engage the community interactively in two popular public celebrations in Los Angeles: The Chinese American Museum's SpringFest 2025 at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument on April 26, and Children's Day (Kodomi No Hi) at the West L.A. Buddhist Temple on Saturday, May 3.  The Garden of Possibilities was designed to create community dialogue in a fun and creative way.  Resembling architectural models used for presentations, the project invites attendees of all ages to decorate the styrofoam soil with ornaments and personal messages and plant them in the garden under the watchful vigil of the Hope Pagoda. It's a fun and highly conceptual activity emphasizing ideas can grow when they're articulated and shared with the greater community and everyone has worth as a contributor.  Public engagements were a shared effort of OCA - GLA and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.).
OCA - Greater Phoenix
On March 29, 2025, the OCA-GPC hosted 30 high school and college students for its Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. On a Saturday morning, the students participated in a unique, interactive leadership and mentoring event designed to teach the application of each student’s leadership skills to a variety of fields and situations. Through the generous sponsorships of State Farm Insurance and Paradise Valley Community College, OCA-GPC’s YLS event was free to all participants, and included breakfast and lunch.
Kent Tong, a leadership development consultant and OCA National’s Senior Program Manager, facilitated the morning and afternoon sessions where each student had an opportunity to introduce themselves to the group and to lead a smaller breakout group discussion. The morning session focused on leadership ambitions including insights about power and privilege. Each student was able to evaluate and express their feelings about different social identities, and they learned about how these social identities are leveraged by different leadership styles. In the afternoon session, the discussion focused on collaboration and helped each student find their own “leadership compass”. In one breakout session, after each student self-identified with at least 1 of 4 leadership styles, within each of the 4 leadership style groups, each group discussed shared characteristics as well as the pros and cons of their particular leadership style. “It was very self-discovering, and also self-oriented … It definitely will help me out in going back to my school”, commented C.C. Luna, a leader of the Future Inspired Native American Leaders (FINAL) Youth Council. Â
At the lunch break between the morning and after sessions, Astria Wong, a local business owner and President of OCA-GPC, spoke to the students about improving their communications and perfecting one’s own social skills and manners. Michael Coronado, a student member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, expressed, “This event has had a great impact on me, where you see the different styles of leadership and the different ways people communicate, and its important to understand those differences and learn how to work with the different varieties of people.”Â
To close the YLS event, Barry Wong, a public policy lawyer and Executive Director of the State of Arizona Governor’s Office of Equal Opportunity, taught the students about democracy in action, including how an idea can turn into law. “I learned how to become a leader and how that benefits myself as well as others”, said Tamara “TJ” John, a student of the Navaho Indian Tribe. Officers and Board members of the OCA-GPC also attended the event, and all of the student attendees were able to network after the event with each of the speakers, OCA-GPC officers and Board members, and each other.
OCA - Greater Washington D.C Chapter
OCA - Greater Washington D.C Chapter Immediate Past President, Mary Tom, celebrated AAPI Heritage Month with,  Chapter friend, Yanping Cai, and Chapter Outreach Intern, Ravi Chhabria, who encouraged the attendees to complete a confidential health needs assessment survey to capture aggregate data to be compiled for the Chapter to assess the health care needs, including mental health, with OCA-DC developing program initiatives that will assist in improving the quality of health and mental health wellness in the DMV (DC, MD, VA area). Â
This jam packed event of over 1000 attendees was a gathering of local agencies and non-profits to share valued services available, coupled with the sharing of the diverse and rich cultures, through performances and food representing various Asian countries, such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. There was face painting for the kids and raffle prizes, which presented a truly fun and enlightening experience for the local Asian families in our community!
OCA - New York
OCA - New York celebrated the beauty of spring with a special flower arranging class. In this hands-on workshop we learned the art of floral design while connecting with fellow community members. Led by expert instructor Joon Pyo Lee, this event was a wonderful opportunity to embrace cultural traditions and enjoy a meaningful intergenerational experience.
CHAPTER EVENTS
Night Market Gala by OCA - St. Louis Chapter
🌟🌟 OCA - St. Louis Chapter is thrilled to host their Night Market Gala again this year, offering a unique and engaging experience. The Night Market Gala is a fundraising and community event scheduled for Sunday, May 18 from 7-10 pm at Norman K. Probstein Golf Course in Forest Park.Â
🌟 Now more than ever, it’s important to uplift and celebrate our local pan-Asian community. Join us for an evening of fun, delicious food, dancing, and community building while supporting local AANHPI businesses and organizations!
🌟 With a focus on local community, we are delighted to have some local AANHPI small businesses with us as part of the night market, other AANHPI local organizations joining us, a live painter, and even a magician joining us at the tables sharing his magic and raising awareness for the International Institute of St. Louis. As memorable as last year was, we are even more excited for this year's event!Â
🌟🌟 Go to the Eventbrite page for photos from last year's event and frequently asked questions about the pricing, dress code, parking and more!
2025 Cleveland Asian Festival by OCA - Greater Cleveland
Join us for the 2025 Cleveland Asian Festival on May 17 & 18, 2025, for the Best Showcase of Asian Food and Culture in Northeast Ohio! Â Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and enjoy Live Entertainment, cultural performances, and martial arts demonstrations on two outdoor stages. Taste authentic Asian foods, drinks, and desserts in our Asian Food Court and Food Truck Lane. Shop local and beyond in the World Marketplace with over 120 vendors. Visit the Health Pavilion for Free Screenings and resources. Check out the Colors of Asia fashion show, Cosplay showcase, Asian Pop Dance Competition, Trivia Challenge, a Best Festival Food contest, and more!
2025 AAPI Restaurants Week by OCA - Greater Chicago
OCA - Greater Chicago hosts 2025 AAPI Restaurants Week, our annual 10-day dining showcase of AAPI-owned restaurants around Chicagoland during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, featuring 58 returning and new participating restaurants offering cuisines from around the world.
AAPI Affinity Night by OCA - Greater Chicago (May, 30)
OCA Greater Chicago celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Raven Theatre with AAPI Affinity Night, hosted by Raven Theatre and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, with a new play by Keiko Green titled Gorgeous.
The play tells the story of two women—one Asian-American and one from the Deep South—and their journey toward understanding each other and building a lasting friendship.
Synopsis:
Jenny has a simple life; she takes care of the elderly and shows dogs professionally. When her just-a-little-bit-older boyfriend Bill dies suddenly, all Jenny wants is to get rid of his stuff and continue to show his champion Bulldog, GORGEOUS. Enter Bernie, a tornado of a woman. Amid the boxes of things that made up Bill’s life, Jenny and Bernie must find a way forward for themselves and the dog.
OCA in Municipal Leadership and Birthright Citizenship Highlight the Greater Los Angeles Chapter's AAPI Heritage Month Celebration
OCA - Greater Los Angeles Chapter (OCA - GLA) and the Asian American Studies Center of UCLA will be hosting its AAPI Heritage Month celebration on Sunday, May 18, 2025. A splendid 10-course Chinese feast will be held at NBC Seafood Restaurant in Monterey Park.  Highlighting the program will be the OCA - GLA Generation Hero Award given to Monterey Park City Councilmember and former OCA - GLA Board Member Henry Lo, who was the City's mayor during its greatest crisis from gun violence where a mass shooting claimed the lives of 11 people and nine injured in January 2023.  Lo helped and the municipal leadership guided the city on its path toward recovery and healing. Guest speaker Norman Wong, an outspoken voice defending American birthright citizenship against current repeal efforts, will discuss the legacy of his great grandfather, Wong Kim Ark, who is a the key figure in the landmark Supreme Court that protected the legal status of American-born children of immigrant parents.  Finally, the devastating Los Angeles wildfires earlier in the year delayed the formal swearing in of the 2025 OCA - GLA Board, and they will be officiated by the current mayor of Monterey Park at the luncheon. For information and tickets, please visit aapiluncheon.eventbrite.com
The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of OCA wishes OCA National Center and its fellow chapters nationwide a promising and prosperous AAPI Heritage Month!
Your donation will support OCA’s efforts to combat anti-Asian hate, provide professional development through our internship program, strengthen regional policy and advocacy initiatives, and empower youth to attend the 2025 OCA National Convention in Seattle.
