| Founded in 1973, the OCA is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to securing the rights of Asian Pacific Americans through initiatives at all levels of the government.
http://www.oca-stl.org info@oca-stl.org OCA-STL P.O. Box 4151 Chesterfield, MO 63006 If you are visiting Washington DC, make sure to check out our national building at OCA National Center 1322 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 | Introduction Welcome to our fourth quarter newsletter. We are excited to be bringing you future, current, and past news that OCA has been involved. Our current president, board members, and advisors are hard at work to bring you great events to the Asian community. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions, please send an email to info@oca-stl.org. Upcoming Events | February 19th 2011 Lunar New Year! OCA will be celebrating the Lunar New Year and 38 years in the St. Louis community. Did you know this chapter is one of three founding chapters when the organization was formed? Did you also know this organization has a nationwide professional development program? If you would like to find out more, come join us! Many of our members are still active in the community and have years of experience in assisting people such as yourself.  January 28th 2011 Confucius classroom programs St. Louis University High School has formally established a Confucius Classroom that will promote teaching Mandarin and Chinese culture and serve as a resource center for our area high schools. Only about 40 Confucius Classroom programs are up and running in the U.S. SLU High is the first one in the region. OCA-St. Louis has been invited to join this great event! Opening ceremony starts at 5 pm.
Dinner at 6 pm. January 15th 2011 OCA serves
In part of the nationwide drive to help the community, this chapter will donate clothing to the Goodwill in Chesterfield.
| Past Events November 13th Honor the Elders program at the Crown Center This is an annual event sponsored by the St. Louis Christian Chinese Community Service Center. Each year, the STLCCCSC honor the elders by assisting them in their activities. OCA members were on hand to assist in the logistics and vehicle delivery of the participants. November 12th China Hub Commission Luncheon A group of delegation from China was on hand for further talks with representatives from the Missouri Asian American Bar Association, OCA-St. Louis, Young Asian Professional Association, and political officials. This event was sponsored by MAABA, this chapter, and the law firm Armstrong Teasdale. November 4th Midwest China Hub Commission collaboration Hosted by Bryan Cave law firm and organized by the Missouri Asian Bar Association. Representatives from the China Air Transportation Association (CATA) / Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) delegation Chair Luo Chao Geng, Vice Chairman of CATA, and Deputy Chair of the delegation Li Jiangming, Deputy General of CAAC, Roger Shapiro of London Exports, Chinese Consul General Yang Guoqiang, Mr. Li, Mr. Luo attended the event.It was one day of a two weeks stay in the St. Louis metro area with the hopes of drawing commercial flights to and from China to the area in the future. November 3rd SLU Asian American Association Showcase The theme of this showcase is the highlighting of both the separate and symbiotic relationship had between Asian and American culture here in the United States. The influences evident in the mixing of the two distinct cultures will be exhibited by several performances by various organizations from both Saint Louis University and other parts of the Saint Louis Metro area. PERFORMANCES: AAA's very own dance team, FSA's Tinikling, Xquizit, SLU Karate, St. Louis Chinese Language School, Washington University Wu Cypher, Musical Performance by Michelle Ji & Steve Lenivy & Mark Jason 'Boom'. |
National News APIA U: Leadership 101 Trainings Washington, D.C. -- OCA, a national organization with 80 chapters and affiliates dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs), will partner with State Farm® to host the Spring 2011 series of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) college leadership trainings. In the last 11 years, APIA U: Leadership 101 has reached more than 4500 students at 121 colleges, universities and community colleges. The schedule of the Spring 2011 trainings is as follows: * University of Florida – January 29, 2011,
* St. Louis University – February 19, 2011,
* University of Hawaii at Hilo – February 19, 2011,
* University of Southern California – March 5, 2011,
* University of Illinois at Chicago – March 12, 2011,
* Syracuse University – March 26, 2011,
* Mount Holyoke – April 2, 2011,
* South Seattle Community College – May 7, 2011.
Since its inception, OCA has been a leader in identifying and cultivating the next generation of APA community leaders. OCA began with its internship and scholarship programs, then incorporated college and youth programming at its annual national conventions. To further its goal of promoting civic participation, education, and leadership, OCA established the APIA U: Leadership 101 Training Program.“APIA U: Leadership 101 provides an invaluable opportunity for college students around the country to come together and dialogue on APIA issues, identity, and leadership,” said OCA National President Ken Lee.APIA U: Leadership 101 is a one-day training that provides a foundation for students to become more involved on campus and in their community.
Two experienced APA facilitators guide 40-60 students through hands-on exercises, presentations, and discussions focused on APIA identity and history, leadership skills, and social justice.
Participants are asked to challenge themselves, share their experiences and develop leadership tools in order to effectively serve as catalysts for social change.
“We look forward to the Spring 2011 trainings and are especially excited about partnering with the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) grantees: University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of Illinois at Chicago and South Seattle Community College,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu.
Comcast Cinema Asian America Washington, D.C. On December 1, 2010, Comcast Corporation launched Cinema Asian America, a new On-Demand programming that features Asian American content. The collection will combine award-winning movies featured on the film festival circuit with classics that deserve to be revisited, as well as short and feature-length works. Each month, Cinema Asian America will highlight various themes that explore a range of topics and experiences and exemplify the diversity of the Asian American community. The December lineup offers two thematic groupings of films. The first section, “The Life Quixotic,” presents several films that feature characters who are taking romantic, impulsive, and idealistic approaches to life’s challenges.
The films in this section include:
* Fruit Fly: Filipino American musical directed by H.P Mendoza
* White on Rice: David Boyle’s hilarious Japanese American family comedy
* The Rebel: Blockbuster Vietnamese action film directed by Charlie Nguyen
* Treeless Mountain: Moving Korean American coming-of-age tale directed by So Yong Kim
The second thematic section is “Must-See Docs,” a grouping of incredible documentaries that have won awards worldwide.
Films include: * Planet B-Boy: Breakdancing doc directed by Benson Lee
* A Song for Ourselves: Tadashi Nakamura’s short film which looks at the life of Japanese American activist and musician Chris Iijima
* The Killing of a Chinese Cookie: Derek Shimoda’s oddball history of the fortune cookie
Cinema Asian America is being curated by Chi-hui Yang, a film programmer, lecturer and writer, based in New York. From 2000 to 2010, Yang was the Director and Programmer of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the largest showcase of its kind in the United States. | | | | | Membership Info
If you had considered becoming a member of OCA-STL this is the year to do it! We are always looking for energetic individuals to help achieve our mission in empowering the Asian American voice in the St. Louis Metro area and national community.
It is as easy as clicking on this link. Please select "MO St. Louis" in the "I would like to be affiliated with this chapter" drop-down.
For existing members. Click here to renew your membership! You can send in your membership form by mail or in person at one of our upcoming events! If you would like a membership form, please feel free to contact our Membership Chair at: info@oca-stl.org Back to top |
