OCA - Orange County Chapter

About Organization of Chinese Americans

Founded in 1973, Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. OCA aims to embrace the hopes and aspirations of nearly 12 million Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

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.

To achieve these goals, OCA is engaged in organizing its 80 chapters and affiliates across the nation to develop both leadership and community involvement. OCA chapters and our organizational and college affiliates are establishing strong local programs in all parts of the country.

OCA’s based in Washington, D.C. gives the national office an effective vantage point for monitoring 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. Visit the national OCA website for more information.

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.
Our chapter is here to address your needs, through education, activism and community service. Get involved in Asian American issues, locally and nationally!

OCA Facts

• Founded: 1973
• Legal Status: Non-profit, Non-partisan
• National Office: Washington, DC
• Number of Chapters: 50
• Representing: Over 10,000 people (Affiliate, College Affiliates, Young OCA, OCA Young Professionals, General membership)
• First and only national Chinese American civil rights organization headquartered in D.C.

OCA History

• Oct. 14, 1976 - OCA National President K.L. Wang meets with President Ford.
• Fall 1977 - OCA National Headquarters sets up in Washington, D.C. with the first Executive Director Hayden Lee.
• 1977 - OCA begins publishing quarterly issues of IMAGE.
• June 29, 1984 -Vincent Chin assailant convicted of civil rights violation.
• January 10, 1986 - OCA President Andrew Chen meets with President Ronald Reagan for greater opportunities and recognition for Chinese Americans and AAPIs.
• July 19, 1989 - OCA President Frank Liu meets with President George Bush to discuss APA issues.
• May 15, 1990 - OCA President S.B. Woo meets with President George Bush on the Civil Rights Act of 1990.
• November 29, 1990 - OCA Executive Director Daphne Kwok witnesses the signing of the Immigration Act of 1990.
• January 1992 - OCA President Claudine Cheng is instrumental in the issuance of the first Chinese American commemorative stamp - Year of the Rooster. The idea was initiated by OCA-Georgia Chapter member Jean Chen.
• June 27, 1993 - OCA meets with Attorney General Janet Reno on AAPI and Hispanic issues.
• August 15, 1995 - OCA National President Michael Lin meets with President Clinton and Secretary of Defense Perry on affirmative action.
• June 28, 1996 - OCA presents the first Pioneer Awards in San Francisco.
• Fall 1996 - OCA coordinates historic first national AAPI voter registration campaign.

More highlights and history can be found on the OCA National History, OCA Year in Review and OCA Facts.

UCI dance troupe Kaba Modern celebrates its 16-year anniversary by competing on MTV’s new reality show “Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew,” which premiered Feb. 7. Six members represent the group – Tony Tran, Mike Song, Yuri Tang, Lawrence Kao, Cindy Minowa and Jia Huang, all UCI students – beating out hundreds of hopefuls and earning a spot as one of nine dance groups competing for the grand prize of $100,000 and a touring contract. On the premiere, Kaba Modern impressed the judges with their razor-sharp precision and innovative choreography; they were selected as the favorites in their round and earned immunity from elimination. As the competition continues, viewers will vote to select the group who will win the top prize and title. The competition airs 10 p.m. Thursdays on MTV.more »

Dear SCMJ members and friends,

SCMJ 2007/2008 ‘Dr. Denny Ko Future Entrepreneurs Scholarship Program’ is now ready to accept applications. The program information and the application form can be found and downloaded at http://www.scmj.org/Scholarship/2007-2008/Scholarship.htm. An application package is also attached for your reference and distribution.

Any high school senior or college/graduate school student is eligible to apply. Winners will receive up to $1,000 dollars and mentorship from SCMJ. The application deadline is February 26, 2008.

Please encourage your children, students, friends, and associates to apply. For further question regarding this program, please email SCMJScholarship@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

SCMJ Scholarship Committee

WASHINGTON DC—OCA, a national organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country dedicated to ensuring social justice for Asian Pacific Americans, spoke out today against the frequency of ethnic stereotypes featured in advertising during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast.

“We were disappointed that some advertising during last weekend’s broadcast of the Super Bowl, a quintessential celebration of American sports, did not celebrate American diversity but instead exploited our differences for a cheap laugh,” said Ginny Gong , OCA National President, “We call on companies to exercise sensitivity and stop the use of such stereotypes in future advertising.”

Among the objectionable commercials were ads featuring pandas with stereotypical Asian accents and a character named Ramesh who spoke with a stereotypical Indian accent and had eight children, and a commercial featuring a cast of immigrants “learning” how to talk to American women.

This year’s Super Bowl was the most watched sports event and the second-most watched TV program in US history, with an estimated 100 million viewers on Sunday night. “Those ads incorporating stereotypes of Asians Pacific Americans, and other minority and immigrant groups are all the more damaging because of the huge audience watching the game,” said Michael Lin , OCA Executive Director, “We hope that in the future, companies will consider the potential negative effects of their advertising.”

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHINESE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

SCHOLARSHIP/FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  February 15, 2008

The Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (”SCCLA”) annually awards seven to ten $1,000 Scholarships and three to four $2,000 Fellowships to local Asian/Pacific American law students.  The Scholarships and the Fellowships are awarded based on need, academic accomplishments, and potential contribution to the Chinese-American community.  Law students at all levels are encouraged to apply (including first, third year day and fourth year evening).

Each Fellowship award funds a clerkship at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (“APALC”) during the upcoming school year, during the fall, winter or spring term.  Receipt of Fellowship funds is conditioned upon serving as a clerk at APALC for a minimum of 15 hours per week for an entire semester.  If the awardee qualifies for the Work/Study Program, there may be an additional supplement to the $2,000 fellowship.

There is no clerkship condition for any of the Scholarships.

Completed applications are due on February 15, 2008.  Applications must be postmarked by February 15, 2008 to be eligible.  Applications will not be accepted by facsimile or by e-mail.  Please forward completed applications to:

Shirley Yauw
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Blvd., 2nd Fl.
Los Angeles, CA  90017

The Scholarships and the Fellowships will be awarded at the annual SCCLA Installation Dinner on March 28, 2008 at Empress Pavilion Restaurant in Chinatown, Los Angeles.  Award recipients must attend the March 28, 2008 dinner to receive the Scholarships and Fellowships.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Shirley Yauw at syauw@apalc.org or 213-977-7500, ext. 265.

New York, NY … The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 34-year old civil rights organization, today released a new report detailing several obstacles faced by Asian American voters in nine states in the November 2006 Midterm Elections.

AALDEF’s report, Asian American Access to Democracy in the 2006 Elections, documents violations of the Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and other incidents of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement in 25 cities in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.   The report is available online at www.aaldef.org.

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said:  “As states prepare for the 2008 Presidential Elections, we urge election officials to remove the barriers that prevent Asian American citizens from exercising their right to vote.”

On Nov. 7, 2006, AALDEF monitored 172 poll sites in 9 states and conducted a multilingual exit poll of over 4,700 Asian American voters.  AALDEF received more than 200 complaints of voting barriers, which are described in the report.  They include:

* * Poll workers made improper or excessive demands for identification–often only from Asian American voters–and misapplied HAVA’s ID requirements. In Boston, an interpreter appointed by the Elections Department required all Chinese-speaking voters to show IDs before they could receive a translated ballot; none of the English-speaking voters were similarly asked for their IDs.
* * Poll workers hindered voter access to interpreters and translated voting materials required under the Voting Rights Act.  In New York, Chinese American voters were given Spanish-language ballots.
* * Asian American voters’ names were missing or incorrectly transcribed in voter lists at poll sites.  HAVA requires that these voters be offered provisional ballots, but poll workers denied voters this right.  In New Jersey, poll workers told Asian American voters to go to the Borough Clerk’s office.
* * Poll workers were unable to direct voters to their proper poll sites or precincts. In Philadelphia, one voter was driven to tears after being sent to several places and given no correct addresses.  In New York, a husband and wife were improperly sent to different lines at different election districts within the same poll site.

AALDEF sent complaint letters to local election officials that detailed these voting obstacles and offered recommendations for improvements.  AALDEF staff attorney Glenn D. Magpantay said, “Our findings demonstrate that vigorous enforcement of the Voting Rights Act is still needed.”  Copies of the report and complaint letters were sent to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Voting Section for further investigation.

On January 9, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two challenges to the constitutionality of voter identification requirements, Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita.  AALDEF submitted an amicus brief to the Court, citing results from its 2004 and 2006 election monitoring efforts. AALDEF’s brief contends that voter ID laws disenfranchise Asian Americans and prevent racial and language minorities from exercising their fundamental right to vote.

In the last Presidential Election, AALDEF polled nearly 11,000 Asian American voters in eight states about Election Day problems at the polls.  Plans for AALDEF’s 2008 multilingual exit poll and election monitoring project will be announced soon.

The following co-sponsors worked with AALDEF to mobilize almost 600 attorneys, law students, and community volunteers to participate in the 2006 election monitoring effort.

National Co-Sponsors
Asian Pacific Islander American Vote
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
Organization of Chinese Americans
People For the American Way Foundation
South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Local Co-Sponsors:
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Asian American Bar Association of the Delaware Valley
Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts
Asian Bar Association of Washington
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area
Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey
Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center – DC
Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia
Chinatown Voter Education Alliance – NY
Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia
Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership – DC
Filipino American Human Services, Inc. – NY
Greater Boston Legal Services, Asian Outreach Unit
Korean American League for Civic Action – NY
Korean American Resource & Cultural Center – IL
Korean American Voters’ Council of NY & NJ
ONE Lowell – MA
Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition
Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
YKASEC–Empowering the Korean American Community – NY
The Sikh Coalition – NY
South Asian Youth Action! – NY
Vietnamese American Initiative for Development – MA
and Asian Pacific American Law Students Association chapters across the country.

*     *     *

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans.  By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

rom: Wayne Osako [mailto:wosako@socal.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 5:11 PM
To: info@niseistamp.org
Subject: NISEI STAMP CAMPAIGN ALERT: CA State Resolution Show of Public Support Sought by Mon, Jan 14th

NISEI STAMP CAMPAIGN ALERT, JANUARY 11, 2008

-Supporters urged by CA State Rep. Mike Eng to fax written support for CA Resolution by Monday, January 14th at Noon

Next week, the California State Assembly will be considering the state resolution (”AJR 33″) to support the Japanese American (Nisei) World War II Veterans Commemorative Postage Stamp.  CA State Representative Mike Eng is spearheading this effort, and his office is making a call for supporters to fax letters of support as soon as possible by Monday morning, January 14th.  Contact Alberto Gonzalez in Rep. Eng’s office with questions (contact information below).  Ready-made forms are attached for your convenience.

See the details below if you wish to participate, especially if you live in California, or have family and friends in the state.  We apologize for the short timeframe, but the date for this hearing was only announced to us yesterday evening.

Thank you!

Wayne Osako
Campaign Coordinator/Chair

—–Original Message—–

From: Gonzalez, Alberto
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 4:13 PM
Subject: RE: URGENT! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR AJR 33 and JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II VETERANS!

Dear Friends,

Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 33 (Eng), which recognizes the contributions of Japanese American (Nisei) World War II veterans and encourages the approval of a commemorative stamp honoring Nisei veterans, will be heard in the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media Committee on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 9:00 AM in Room 444 of the State Capitol.

At this time, we need all of your support! Attached  you will find a sample letter of support for AJR 33, and as well as a support form that you can fill out and submit.

It is critical that these letters and forms of support go out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The committee’s deadline to consider any letters of support is on Monday, January 14, 2008 before NOON!

Please fax all letters of support to the Arts Committee’s office at (916) 319-2772 as soon as possible..  Fax all support forms to Assemblymember Mike Eng’s office at (916) 319-2772 to the attention of Alberto Gonzalez.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES!!!
If you have any questions, please contact Alberto Gonzalez at (916) 319-2049 or alberto.gonzalez@asm.ca.gov.

Thank you for your support!

*********************************

Alberto A. Gonzalez, Jr.
Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellow, 2007-08
Office of Assemblymember Mike Eng (AD-49)
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a49/
Phone: (916) 319-2772
Fax:     (916) 319-2149
Cell:     (562) 569-8170
alberto.gonzalez@asm.ca.gov

*********************************

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” - M. Gandhi

Dear June:

Last Thursday, amidst reports of a projected $14 billion deficit, the Governor’s solution was to propose cuts across all departments and program areas, rather than responsibly finding ways to raise revenue. The billions of dollars in cuts negatively impact all aspects of Californians’ lives, ranging from necessities such as health care and education to recreation such as public beaches and parks. See more details on the extent of the negative impact (http://www.aacre.org/agenda/2008budgetagenda/?lk=7227409-7227409-0-30522-cwZlvcLDof-j9EQ68PQyrwLeNXTc/uBR). If you have a story to share about how these budget proposals will impact you or other community members, please let me know at vhuang@aacre.org.

In light of the fiscal crisis facing our state, advocacy among our community is as important as ever. Please join over 200 other community members at the Asian Pacific Islander Policy Summit in Sacramento on April 15-16 to advocate for the needs of our community. This year, we are also offering travel scholarships to assist community members in need. Apply today! The deadline is coming up soon on January 25. More information about the summit can be found on the API Legislative Caucus website (http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/apilegcaucus/policysummit.htm).

Sincerely,

Vivian Huang
AACRE Director of Legislative Advocacy

AACRE is a partnership of

CAA | Chinese for Affirmative Action
Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Asian Law Caucus

SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIPS 2008

Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups.  AALDEF also provides trainings in housing law, naturalization procedures, and immigration law.  The summer program is ten (10) weeks, beginning approximately June 9th through August 15th.  The position is unpaid.  However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding and work-study funds may also be available.  Academic credit can be arranged.

Voting Rights Intern: Responsibilities include coordinating voter registration drives, researching the Voting Rights Act, anti-Asian voter discrimination, bilingual ballots, and Asian American political opinion; advocating on state and local election reform proposals; developing reports and organizing forums on the Asian American vote.  Students from schools in MI, MA, PA, VA, DC, MD, HI, who are also willing to help in coordinating Asian American Election Protection efforts in Nov. 2008 after they go back to school are especially encouraged to apply.

NJ Asian American Legal Project Intern:  Responsibilities include conducting community outreach and presentations with Asian immigrant workers and community members in New Jersey ; performing client intake and legal interpretation, and; coordinating client referrals.  Bilingual ability in Gujarati, Hindi, or Korean is highly preferred.

Youth Rights and Educational Equity Intern: Responsibilities include community outreach and presentations with Asian American youth groups, public education policy research, assistance with client intakes and general support for projects on educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action, and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting.

Office Assistant:  Responsibilities include data entry, organizing press clippings, answering phones, doing mailings, assisting with fundraising and other events, and performing general clerical duties.  Other responsibilities include providing support for community education and outreach projects and acting as an interpreter/translator.  Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs are helpful.  Bilingual ability in an Asian language is desirable but not required.

Requirements:   Candidates must be detail-oriented and possess strong writing skills.  Spoken and written knowledge of Korean, Bangla, Chinese, or another Asian language is a plus.

Qualified applicants should indicate which internship they are applying for and send a resume and cover letter by Friday, February 15 to:

Summer Undergraduate Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York , New York 10013
fax: 212.966.4303 or email: info@aaldef.org

For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932, ext. 212 or jweng@aaldef.org