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Dear OCA Family,
The holiday season is upon us and wherever you are and however you celebrate, your OCA Family celebrates with you.
This year has also been a year that has challenged our communities, across the nation. We have also seen a renewed focus on supporting our communities with more access to critical resources and addressing systemic inequities. OCA has played a significant role in addressing our communities’ concerns by fighting for more inclusive aid during the pandemic; pushing back against anti-Asian hate; opposing exclusionary bans and combatting xenophobia in federal policy and much more.
OCA has engaged at the national level, working with our partners to push for federal policy that will continue America’s promise as a place of refuge and opportunity, but also locally where policy is transformed into access to services and critical resources.
And as the new year approaches, OCA has committed itself to leading the fight for our communities by continuing our strong leadership as Thu Nguyen assumes the role of our national Executive Director. Thu and our staff of dedicated, passionate and innovative team members will continue to support our chapters while expanding our influence into the areas that matter the most to our communities.
I am incredibly excited about the work of our policy team and task forces. We are working hard to make strides in the inclusion of our AAPI stories in our K-12 curriculums. By including our stories, it will lead to better understanding of our valuable contributions to the rich tapestry of America. Additionally, we are also working hard to address the rising tide of xenophobia in research, academia and government employment. We cannot stand aside when the livelihoods of our community members are threatened and our loyalties to this nation are challenged.
One underlying focus that OCA has always held dear is the pipeline of effective new leaders in the next generation. Our internship program has a history of producing leaders in our communities. Each year, dozens of young leaders are trained and build capacities to be effective leaders in the professional and advocacy diaspora. OCA has taken additional steps this past year by creating scholarships for our emerging leaders who pursue opportunities in public policy and service. This is a significant step towards further developing our talent to lead our communities and nation.
These efforts will impact our next generation and our collective advancement, and I invite you to be a part of the development of our next generation of leaders. We must continue to develop our home-grown talent and position them for success. We have worked hard to push into the spaces where we fight for our communities and we need our successors to be ready to take up the work when it is time.
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