Organization of Chinese Americans
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| Motto | Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans |
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| Formation | 1973 |
| Type | Non-profit, Non-partisan |
| Purpose | "To advance the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States." |
| Headquarters | Washington, DC |
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Region served
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Nationwide |
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Membership
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Representing over 10,000 people (Affiliate, College Affiliates, Young OCA, OCA Young Professionals, General membership) |
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Key people
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Michael W. Kwan (President) Ken Lee Chief Executive Officer |
| Website | http://www.ocanational.org |
| Remarks | First and only national Pan-Asian Pacific American civil rights organization headquartered in D.C. |
Founded in 1973, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates (previously known as the Organization of Chinese Americans) is a national organization whose stated mission is to advance the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in the United States. APAs now number more than 17 million.
In 2013, OCA's National Board of Directors passed a resolution to change its name to OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates to reflect a more expansive mission to represent the pan-ethnic interests of the community.
The OCA National Center is located in Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. and serves as the headquarters for OCA. The national office and staff monitor legislation and policy issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans. In addition, OCA is able to build national support and to work in coalition with other national groups around issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans.
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.
The goals of OCA are to:
To achieve these goals, OCA is engaged in organizing 80 chapters and affiliates across the nation to develop both leadership and community involvement.
OCA was founded in 1973 to give voice and representation to Chinese Americans across the United States. Interest in civil rights advocacy had been growing in Chinese American communities since the late 1960s. OCA founders, among them Kung-Lee (K.L.) Wang, recognized a need for an organization to advocate for Chinese Americans on the national level in the same way as the NAACP and the JACL advocated for their respective ethnic groups.
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 traveled to 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, MI. By February 1972, the Association of Chinese Americans was established and incorporated in Detroit, with Alex Mark as its first president. In late 1971, K.L. Wang also met with a group of about 20 Chinese Americans in the St. Louis community. This meeting lead to the formation of the League of Chinese Americans in early 1972. William Chang was elected its first president.
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Wikipedia