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** Anna May Wong Coins
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The U.S. Mint is shipping quarters honoring the trailblazing Chinese American actress Anna May Wong, making her the first Asian American to be featured on U.S. currency. You can order quarters with Wong's image via the U.S. Mint's website below.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER ([link removed])

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UPDATES
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Intern Alumni Directory Form
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 30+ years. If you are a former OCA National internship program participant, ** please complete this form ([link removed])
. Any questions can be directed to ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
.

Mental Fitness Workshop Recap

OCA National hosted a mental fitness workshop, facilitated by Life Transformation and Mental Fitness Coach Amy Yip, on October 15th to help AAPIs build their capacity to handle stress and anxiety.

GUVSA Phone Bank Recap

Georgetown University Vietnamese Student Association, an OCA College Affiliate, hosted a phone banking event on November 3rd and made over 4,400 calls to encourage citizens to vote this midterm election cycle.

Black Adam Film Screening Recap

OCA, as a member of the ** Asian American Media Alliance ([link removed])
, partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to host an early film screening and reception for BLACK ADAM on October 19th. The event also featured a short fireside chat about AAPI representation in film, featuring panelists David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, and April Reign, DEI advocate and creator of the viral hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

POLICY CORNER
** ([link removed])

Asian Americans for Affirmative Action: Why Should We Care?

On October 31st, 2022, members of OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates joined other Asian Americans in a rally advocating for affirmative action on the steps of the United States Supreme Court. This rally took place as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases regarding affirmative action, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard University and SFFA v. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both cases will significantly impact the future of race-conscious admissions in higher education, an issue that has been a source of much confusion and division among Asian Americans. Thu Nguyen, Executive Director of OCA National - Asian Pacific American Advocates, attended the rally and shared: “Affirmative action is not just about checking off a box. It empowers students to authentically share their lived experiences in personal statements, and showcase the unique strengths they bring to the table. This kind of diversity creates rich learning environments, and we must preserve
the opportunities for such.”

** Click here to read more about affirmative action and its significance. ([link removed])

GOTV Success!

OCA National held two incredible DJ the Vote events on October 17th and 31st. These were both text banking events aimed at encouraging voters all across the country to get out the vote in the upcoming election. The events featured live music from the amazing rapper, activist, and educator Jason Chu. We had over 35 participants in each event, and sent over 170K messages to voters over the course of both sessions. We thank our participants who volunteered to help in this crucial election, and congratulations to the Detroit chapter which had the most participants in both events! And special thanks to all the chapters that engaged in GOTV work and for their incredible work in this election!

The State of Chinese Americans Survey— Your Input Is Needed!

We are excited to share with you a project that OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates has been invited to partner on. Columbia University and Committee of 100 have developed a ** nationwide survey ([link removed])
focused on Chinese Americans, to gather information that will shed light on the status and needs of today’s Chinese American population.

This is the first survey of its kind that is designed to focus specifically on Chinese Americans, and the survey findings will be used to inform policymakers and the public on policies and programs that can better serve the needs of Chinese American communities across the country.

Your participation is the most important part of this project, and we encourage you to ** take this survey HERE today ([link removed])
and make your voice heard! Please feel free to reach out to us or ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
with any questions.

We hope you agree that this is an important project for Chinese Americans across the country and that you will help by including your voice in this pioneering endeavor.

Additional resources:
** State of Chinese Americans Survey Flyer - English ([link removed])

** State of Chinese Americans Survey Flyer - Simplified Chinese ([link removed])

** State of Chinese Americans Survey Flyer - Traditional Chinese ([link removed])

** SOCA Email Message Templates - English and Chinese ([link removed])

** CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY ([link removed])
** ([link removed])

Historic Announcement in Sherry Chen's Case: Settlement Delivers Long-Overdue Accountability for Discrimination at Department of Commerce

A historic settlement with the government in two lawsuits seeking accountability for Sherry Chen’s wrongful prosecution and termination from her job was reached last week. A press release concerning the settlement is available ** here ([link removed])
.

In short: the settlement is one of the largest paid to an individual plaintiff in Commerce Department history. Ms. Chen will receive $550,000 from the Commerce Department and an annuity from the U.S. government valued at $1.25 million over 10 years. The Commerce Department will host a private meeting between Ms. Chen and a senior National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official, where she plans to discuss wrongdoing at multiple levels of the agency and the importance of antidiscrimination reforms. The Commerce Department will also provide Ms. Chen with a letter acknowledging her extensive accomplishments during her years of service as a government hydrologist.

OCA, along with our coalition partners, will continue to stand up and fight against the racial profiling and targeting of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants like Sherry Chen.
** ([link removed])

** K-12 AANHPI Curriculum Project ([link removed])
* FOLLOW and SHARE our Instagram where we post a majority of our content! @k12aanhpi_project
* VISIT our ** Linktree ([link removed])
and donate to our project, sign our petition, and visit our website to learn more about our project in-depth!

If you have any questions, please email ** OCA's (mailto:[email protected]?subject=K-12%20AANHPI%20Curriculum%20Project)
** Executive Director Thu Nguyen. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=K-12%20AANHPI%20Curriculum%20Project)
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT

OCA-Greater Tucson
GOTV Early Voting poster distribution to replace National Voter Registration Day posters at businesses and organizations including eHotPot and Junior League of Tucson throughout October. We also spread the word through social media and emails.

We partnered with the League of Women Voters of Tucson to present the 10 Ballot Proposals on the Arizona Ballot to organizations such as the Soroptimists Club on October 20 and the Junior League of Tucson on October 26.

DJ the Vote was supported by University of Arizona students coordinated by Intern Eliana Doherty, October 31. One participant was in costume.
OCA Greater Tucson attended the first meeting of “All of Us Research Program” (AoUSRP), a national campaign funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the health of all Americans through data-gathering. The mission of AoUSRP is to form a national infrastructure of culturally tailored materials and practices to educate and engage AANHPIs for the AoUSRP. This is a national 10-year health study that needs more AANHPI participants around the country. Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC) is in the initial period of involvement which includes development of a set of events highlighting healthy Asian ways of living and fitness.

On October 20 OCA Greater Tucson presented “Leadership: How to Influence and serve as a Change Agent” twice to high school students at the inaugural EDI Student Summit, Tucson Unified School District (TUSD).

On November 3, TUSD Professional Development Day, OCA Greater Tucson and OCA Greater Phoenix presented three modules, two of which were from OCA’s bank of curricula for K-12, to TUSD teachers, administrators, and counselors. The program was hosted by Yoon Lee, Coordinator Asian Pacific American & Refugee Student Services. Dr. Leslie Moe-Kaiser presented “Let’s Learn About Calendars” to an enthusiastic audience. TUSD want s another session for the March, 2023 Professional Development Day. One of the goals was to garner support for inclusion of AANHPI curricula in K-12 in Arizona. We shared the new website for all 60 lesson plans.
On November 5, Leslie Moe-Kaiser attended the first meeting of “Together We Thrive Project” as a member of the Advisory Committee. The Project addresses COVID-19 impacts on the Tucson AANHPI community and their needs. Leslie presented national perspectives while others addressed local community impacts and needs. University of Arizona Medical School and Social Work faculty also shared perspectives.

Monthly immunization clinics begin in November. Long-term effects of COVID-19 and mental health issues associated with COVID-19 will be presented at the January meeting. Material will be shared with OCA Greater Tucson and its Tucson AANHPI network.

OCA-Utah

OCA Utah was able to celebrate its 24th anniversary and its annual Utah Asian Pacific Islander Community Awards Night for the first time in person since the onset of the pandemic. The chapter celebrated its 2020, 2021, and 2022 award recipients including: United Micronesian Women, University of Utah Asian American Student Association, 90.9FM KRCL TalaKoula, Khemera Dance Troupe, Thao Huynh, Bhutanese Community in Utah, Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition, Margarita Satini (posthumous), Asian Link Project, University of Utah Pasifika Ambassadors Program, Rosie Nguyen, Malialole Polynesian Cultural Arts Ensemble, Nuanua Collective, Christian Phomsouvanh, Susan Alik, Ali'itasi Productions, and KSL News.
** ([link removed])
OCA-Wisconsin
Lorna Young, OCA-WI Board member, co-hosted a GOTV event with friends from the OCA-WI, JACL-WI, Lao community, and other colleagues. Every vote has counted in Wisconsin with outcomes being close to 50-50. We thank our OCA-WI friends for their energy and dedication in this GOTV for this year’s election, and look forward to ongoing participation going forward!
OCA-Greater Houston

OCA-Greater Houston did:
* Canvassed 15,136 people in Greater Houston area
* Sent 60k mailers twice in Greater Houston area with APIAVOTE
* OCA National Center texting campaign sent 43, 262 to Houston alone and then an additional 80,817 texts to Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
* On Election Day we organized 7 sites in Greater Houston area and 3 sites in Dallas/Fort Worth Area to support OCA-DFW with their 2 sites and 1 site by Asian Texans for Justice.
* Phonebanked with volunteers with APIAVote to 33k households

EVENTS + OPPORTUNITIES
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November 15: Monthly Situational Awareness Workshop
In response to the increased rise of Anti-Asian/American, xenophobic harassment, and anti-hate towards marginalized communities of color, OCA is providing educational and awareness tools to combat these types of systemic oppression. This workshop is a free, 1.5-hour, interactive training to teach people on how to be a confident and effective bystander against racism and discrimination. At the end of the training, each participant will have the tools to be able to intervene as a bystander whenever they see or experience harassment. Pre-registration is required for this 1.5 hour training via Zoom.

** Click here to register. ([link removed])

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** OCA National Website ([link removed])
OCA National Center
Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

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