Recent events

1/20/2003 (Mon) Martin Luther King Day - Parade and performance

Letter of appreciation from City of Columbus, Community Relations Commission:

11/10/2002 (Sun).  Film show "Chinatown Files" an NAATA presentation  by Amy Chen (57 minutes). OSU Multicultural Center lounge from 5:30-9pm. 4th Floor Ohio Union, 1739 North High Street. See map. Potluck dinner with finger food preferred.  Click for more film information.

OCA Picnic
6/29/2002 (Sat) Sharon Woods Park
11am to 4pm
Members: $5 adult; $3 age 3-10; under 3, free 
NonMembers: $8 adult; $5 age 3- 10; under 3, free
BBQ ribs and chicken, lemonade and supplies provided.
Bring a snack, side dish or dessert to share and outdoor games to play.
More than 70 people attended.

Asian Heritage Month 
5/25-26/2002. Asian Festival Franklin Park (click for more info at website)

China Night
6/1  Hitchcock Hall 7:30pm. Free admission. Dances, music, acrobatics, martial arts. 

5/9/ 2002. Helen Zia to speak at OSU. 
THU, May 9, 2002 (5:30-7:00 PM)
Hitchcock Hall (click to see map Bdg 274)
She is the author of "Asian Dreams" and Wen Ho Lee's memoir "My Country Versus Me".

4/19/2002 Asian Pacific American Community Outraged with Irresponsible and Derogatory
Images

3/25/2002 George Ong, president OCA, thanked OCA-columbus for donation of unrestricted fund.

1/19/2002. 2pm-4pm. Frank H. Wu. Yellow : Race in America Beyond Black and White.

12/18/2001. Meeting Cari Dominguez, Chair of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) See: photo

Racial Issues at School

Speakers :
Shayne Downton SAVE (Strategies Against Violence  Everywhere) 
Connie Lee (Organization of Chinese Americans, Columbus Chapter)
Date - December 2, 2001 Time - 2pm to 4pm
1167 Chambers Road, Columbus, OH43212, Community Culture Center, Dr. S. C. Lee Library.
This event was sponsored by :
Organization of Chinese Americans, Columbus Chinese Academy,  Asian American Community Service.

OCA national Meeting

OCA GALA BANQUET HONORED APAs WORKING FOR COMMUNITY

Seattle, WA - On Saturday, July 28, the Organization of Chinese Americans hosted the OCA Outstanding Citizen Award at a black tie gala banquet during its 23rd Annual National Convention, which was held at the Seattle Westin, 900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, Washington.  The event was sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies, General Motors Corporation, and IBM Corporation.

Nearly 900 people attended this year's banquet, which reflected the convention theme, "2001: Continuing Our Odyssey for Full Equality." The biennial OCA Outstanding Citizen Award was given to two recipients who have shown exemplary commitment and dedication to advancing the visibility and livelihood of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs).  OCA also presented special recognition awards to APAs who have spent their lives working to positively impact the APA community.

The keynote speech was given by the Honorable Gary Locke, Governor of Washington, who illustrated with his own life experience, how far Asian Pacific Americans have progressed and how much farther we all need to go. Attendees at the gala also saw a renewal in the leadership of OCA. A farewell tribute honored the departure of Daphne Kwok, but also welcomed Christine Chen as the new Executive Director.

The 2001 Organization of Chinese Americans awardees are:

Outstanding Citizen Award

Yuri Kochiyama was placed in an internment camp during WWII, and also worked for the military in the Deep South.  Her experiences during the war showed her the harsh reality of racism in the country, but her role as a legend in the civil rights struggle did not begin until she and her husband moved to Harlem, New York in 1960.  She quickly became involved with the Harlem Parents Committee and later became acquainted with Malcolm X and his Organization of Afro-American Unity; when he was assassinated, it was she who rushed to his side.  She was also involved in the takeover of the Statue of Liberty in 1977 by the Puerto Rican independence movement.  Having lived eight decades, she is still involved in the civil rights movement, advocating for David Wong and other political prisoners.

William Wong started his career as a journalist in the late 1950s at the University of California, Berkeley where he wrote for the Daily Californian, the student paper of which he was also on the board.  When he took over as editor, he moved the position of the publication to become more liberal; after graduating, his mission became even clearer.  He took a few years to gain real-life experience and earn a Master's Degree in Journalism, and before long he was hired by the Wall Street Journal.  He eventually became a columnist for the Oakland Tribune and a regular commentator on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.  An award-winning journalist and a well-known professor, he recently released his book, Yellow Journalist: Dispatches from Asian America.

Special Recognition Awards

Frank Chin grew up in the Chinatowns of Oakland and San Francisco in the 1940s and 50s and is one in a long line of railroad workers.  He eventually became a college professor, which is strangely fitting because his writing career looks like a reading list for an Asian American Studies class.  He served as one of the editors of the seminal anthology of Asian American writing Aiiieeeee! and its follow-up The Big Aiiieeeee!  It is his own plays, novels, and essays, however, that have brought him accolades from all over the APA community and beyond.  The Chickencoop Chinaman and The Year of the Dragon have both been staged across the country for the past 25 years.  His other works, including the novels Donald Duk and Gunga Din Highway have earned him respect from both the APA community and the literary world.

The Northwest Labor & Employment Law Office (LELO) was formed in the early 1970s by labor organizations representing three different minority groups.  Under the leadership of founding members such as Gene Viernes, and brothers Silme and Nemesio Domingo, LELO has been on the frontline of the battle with the Ward's Cove Packaging Company since the beginning.  APAs had been hired to serve as seasonal work, giving them little opportunity for advancement while white workers were given higher-paying skilled positions.  Although Wards Cove v. Atonio, which was filed by LELO on behalf of over 2,000 laborers was decided in favor of the employer, LELO has still not given up.  LELO has fought for APA workers and other workers of color for three decades as one of the strongest grassroots organizations in the country.

Special Tribute

Daphne Kwok is the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing political participation for APAs.  Before joining APAICS, she served as Executive Director of OCA for ten years.  Under her leadership, OCA established itself as one of the largest and most respected civil rights organizations in the entire country.  Her efforts on behalf of OCA brought her recognition as one of the leading voices on issues affecting the APA community and earned her a spot on the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board. 
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Cultural Center - Shuh-chai Lee's Memorial Library opens. August 5, 2001

Dr. Shuh-Chai Lee, the founder of Columbus Chinese School and Asian American Community Service (AACS),  has contributed enormously to the Columbus Chinese community.  The memorial library is established with the help of many members of the Columbus Chinese School, organized by Frances Hsieh. Dr. Siu-Leung Lee, an OCA member and former principal of the Columbus Chinese School, contributed the calligraphy for the memorial library. About 40 people attended the opening ceremony.   

Asian Festival 

Father's Day picnic  

Father's Day picnic was held at Sharon's Wood Park on June 16, 2001. More than 50 people participated.  

Quiz on Asian Americans - 

This was held at the Asian Festival and on the Father's Day picnic. Unfortunately, no one got all the answers correct. Those who did with coaching were nullified. The correct answers are seen here. 

(See earlier events here)

Smithsonian exhibit "On Gold Mountains"

This exhibition tells the story of the Chinese in America through the six-generation odyssey of a Chinese American family in Los Angeles. On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience explores immigration, the transformation of Chinese immigrants into Chinese Americans, the many facets of Chinese American identity, and methods of uncovering family and community history. On Gold Mountain is based on a book by Lisa See, whose family has a long and prominent history in Los Angeles. Members of the See family immigrated from China to California during the construction of the transcontinental railroad, established a successful antiques business, opened an art gallery and restaurant, became furniture designers and manufacturers, and helped build Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Looking closely at a real family provides insight into the history of Chinese Americans. Arts & Industries Building, May 18 – September 30, 2001

"Fly to Freedom: The Art of the Golden Venture Refugees." 

until September 30, 2001.
In 1993, fifty-two of the refugees on the ship, Golden Venture, were sent to York County Prison, Pennsylvania and were held there for nearly four years. In that time, the refugees at York County made over 10,000 pieces of paper sculptures. Along with the selected paper sculptures, the traveling exhibit will present the background history of the Golden Venture story and the outcome of the refugees' struggles.

"Gateway to Gold Mountain" 

until August 27, 2001. 
It features five photomural vignettes, photographs, and a video chronicling the immigration experience of more than 175,000 Chinese immigrants who came to America between 1910 and 1940. Ferried from ships to the isolated Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay, they were greeted by an America far different from the land of opportunity many called "Gold Mountain." The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation produced this exhibit.