Mark Your Calendars for a Vegas Welcome! ✨

• 📅 Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the delay or cancellation of our biggest programs and events, we’re excited to announce that OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates will host its 49th National Convention in-person in Las Vegas, Nevada!
• ❤️ Why this matters: Since 1973, tens of thousands of OCA members from across the country have gathered to facilitate discussions on AAPI identity and develop the next generation of AAPI leaders. OCA’s Las Vegas chapter looks forward to welcoming you on August 4-6 with the theme “Building Our Community’s Heroes,” which aims to celebrate unsung AAPI figures and highlight the importance of mentorship.

Registration for OCA's 2022 National Convention will open shortly. Be the first to know by signing up here. If you received this briefing, you're already set!

Download our event app via Apple or Google Play to create your own customizable agenda, and visit our virtual hub to explore tracks, workshops, and speakers once they become available.

Interested in reaching diverse audiences? Learn about sponsorship opportunities here.

Plus: Follow @ocanational on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

April 15: Free SAW Training + Concert in Boston!

In partnership with THE CHINATOWN TOUR (featuring jason chu, Alan Z, and MC Tingbudong), we are excited to offer a free Situational Awareness Workshop (SAW) on Friday from 4 PM to 5:30 PM at the Pao Arts Center.

🎤 Space is limited for this training, so be sure to register to reserve your spot! And after the training, be sure to attend the FREE concert later that night!

📖 K-12 AANHPI Curriculum Development Project

On June 17, OCA will participate in a national online summit, "Organizing for Asian American Studies: Stopping AAPI Hate and Advancing Educational Equity," which will bring together communities currently advocating for AAS in K-12 education. The overall aim of the summit is to learn best practices for organizing AAS, share resources, and network. Workshops include best practices in passing AAS requirements, implementing AAS, and the Stop AAPI Hate model curricula framework. All OCA members are invited to attend this free summit; a code to register will be shared upon request and upon availability in the coming weeks.

• 🎓 Other updates: Under the leadership of Will Gow and Yvonne So (Co-Chairs of the Advocacy & Outreach Subcommittee), we have launched a series of teacher focus groups that will vet the over 60+ lesson plans throughout the month of April and May. This feedback will be incorporated into finalizing the lesson plans as we approach completion of our national database of AANHPI curriculum for K-12 educators.
• ✏️ Drumroll… The project's new social media handle is @k12aanhpi_project. Please keep an eye out for the launch of our Instagram page, where we will promote the project and upcoming events! To learn more, please email OCA's Associate Manager of Policy & Advocacy Michael Nguyen.

OCA-NY Leads in Community Care

As violence against Asian Americans continues to dominate the headlines, OCA’s New York chapter has visibly mobilized to protect the community while fighting for fair representation in the looming redistricting process. Led by Brooklyn voting rights organizer Brianna Cea, the group’s work has been featured in Vox, The New Yorker, and elsewhere in the past month.

• ❤️ Two weeks after Christina Yuna Lee’s murder in March, OCA-NY hosted a free self-defense class for 50+ AAPI women, girls, and femmes at Two Bridges Muay Thai in Chinatown, Manhattan (pictured below). The chapter also partnered with Sisters of Self Defense and Sour Over Hate to distribute self-defense devices like pepper spray, along with refreshments from local bakeries.
• 🗳️ OCA-NY also joined with a coalition of Asian American civic organizations who rallied on the steps of New York City Hall earlier this month, demanding representation in the upcoming city redistricting cycle.

April 16: Celebrating Pittsburgh’s Historic Chinatown

Join OCA’s Pittsburgh chapter at 1 PM as they commemorate the Chinese Americans who first came to the city in the 1880s, along with the Chinatown district they built downtown. This is a free outdoor event with cultural performances and music, cultural crafts and activities, Lion Dance teams, and an Asian marketplace. 👉  Learn more.

Note: There will be a 45-minute walking tour of historic downtown spaces with Shirley Yee at 12 PM. Meet at 514 Court Place if you are interested in participating.

May 21-22: Cleveland Asian Festival

As one of the founding organizations, OCA Greater Cleveland is proud to present the 2022 Cleveland Asian Festival on May 21 and 22 in Cleveland's Asiatown neighborhood for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The event features live entertainment, cultural performers, martial art demonstrations, authentic Asian foods, a World Marketplace, a Health Pavilion for free screenings, the Colors of Asia Fashion Show, an Asian Pop Dance competition, and more. 👉 Learn more at ClevelandAsianFestival.org.