(NAME-MCE) OCA National Convention July 31-August 4 Washington DC

[Anselmo Villanueva]

OCA National Convention: July 31 - August 4, 2008 Washington, DC

Information:

http://www.ocanational.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=120&Itemid=

Founded in 1973, OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing
the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific
Americans (APA) in the United States. Originally founded as the
Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA was the first APA organization
to establish a national headquarters in Washington D.C. OCA has over
80 chapters and college affiliates nationwide. OCA employs 7 staff at
the national headquarters.

OCA's goals are:

• to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment;
• to promote civic participation, education, and leadership;
• to advance coalitions and community building; and
• to foster cultural heritage.

OCA takes no collective position on the politics of any foreign
country, but instead focuses on the welfare and civil rights of Asian
Pacific Americans in the United States.

Fulfilling A Vision...The Early Days of OCA

In 1973, OCA catalyzed into being with the vision of uniting Chinese
Americans across the United States into one representative voice.
Interest and concern had been stirring in different pockets of the
country since the late 1980s. The movement started to grow as numbers
of the Chinese American communities began to rally together.
Many OCA leaders deserve recognition. However, Kung-Lee (K.L.) Wang is
one individual who was instrumental in the creation of OCA. There was
a recognized need for a group to be a voice for Chinese Americans as
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
and the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) were for their
respective ethnic groups. While this vision of a united representative
voice was shared with all founding members, more importantly, they
decided to focus on Chinese American issues and concerns in the U.S.,
instead of the divisive issues concerning their "homeland."

With this vision and strong determination, in September 1971, K. L.
Wang and others established the Chinese American Leadership Council,
the precursor to OCA, in Washington, DC. K.L. Wang then personally
traveled through many cities in the U.S. to promote a national
advocacy organization for Chinese Americans.
In November 1971, at the urging of K.L. Wang, Alex Mark chaired a
steering committee to establish a national organization for Chinese
Americans in Detroit. By February 1972, the Association of Chinese
Americans was established and incorporated in Detroit, with Alex Mark
as its first president.
A group of about 20 Chinese Americans in the St. Louis community
gathered for their first meeting with K.L. Wang in late 1971. As a
result, the League of Chinese Americans was formed in St. Louis in
early 1972. Shortly thereafter, the bylaws were adopted and William
Chang was elected its first president.
On May 3, 1973, invitation letters to join OCA were signed by Alex
Mark and K.L. Wang and sent to Detroit, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,
Washington, DC and other Chinese American communities. Pauline Tsui of
Washington, DC, served as the convention committee chair. Anna
Chennault was instrumental in recruiting support from Congress and the
Administration.

The first National Convention was held on June 9, 1973, which became
the official inception date of OCA. One hundred twelve delegates from
across the nation attended the convention, in which the constitution,
bylaws and the name of the organization were adopted. K.L. Wang was
elected as its first national president. The Association of Chinese
Americans in Detroit, while retaining its name, became a chapter. The
original OCA in Washington, DC evolved as a distinct chapter with
Harry Woo as its first president. The League of Chinese Americans in
St. Louis also joined in becoming one of the three founding chapters
of OCA.

Today, there are over 80 OCA chapters and affiliates across the
country working on behalf of Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander
descent as an organization dedicated to advancing the social,
political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the
United States. The many achievements of OCA over the past 34 years
have been possible only through the commitment of many dedicated
friends, members, officers, family, corporate partners, colleagues and
leaders in the Chinese and Asian American and Pacific Islander
communities. Yet, there is much left to do to accomplish our mission.
We must continue the vision of "Embracing the Hopes and Aspirations of
Asian Pacific Americans."

OCA
1322 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1803
Tel: 202.223.5500
Fax: 202.296.0540
oca at ocanational.org
www.ocanational.org