OCA Remembers the Life of Shium Andrew Chen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

30 April 2021

Contact: Eiley Fong | Senior Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | eiley.fong@ocantional.org

Washington, DC - OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is sad to hear of the passing of Dr. Shium Andrew Chen, longtime community and OCA member, advocate, and past National President of OCA from 1985-1986. Dr. Chen was a scholar and professor in the field of psychology and created bridges between his work and the social justice movement. He was one of the first academics to publish on how Asian representation and portrayal in the media affects American perception of Asian people.

The leadership, past and present, of OCA fondly remembers his work, passion, and dedication to advancing the Asian American and Pacific Islander community:

National President Linda Ng: “Facing the reality of prejudice and racism against Asian Americans, Dr. Chen became a lifelong community advocate, including serving as the OCA National President, by standing up for civil rights, confronting bigotry and discrimination of Asian Americans. Dr. Chen’s dedication lives on through OCA’s commitment for social justice and advocacy.”

Sharon M. Wong (2013-2015, 2017-2020): “We mourn the loss of Shium Andrew Chen as an OCA family and community. His activism, knowledge, and leadership of OCA was a key driver in building OCA in our early days. His legacy will carry us forward and will be forever remembered in our continued fight for social justice.”

Leslie Moe-Kaiser (2016): “Dr. Chen was one of the first psychologists in the U.S. to research the impact of violence in mass media on violent behavior. In the 1990s he posited that media’s portrayals of Asians exert strong influence on discriminatory attitudes that lead to violent crimes. He dreamed about peace and advocated for justice, two ideals for which we continue to strive. His spirit continues within the OCA family.”

Ken Lee (2009-2012): “Andrew was a great pioneer in his tenure as the OCA National President. He gave much of his time to make OCA a better place forging inroads into racial justice. We will remember him and his legacy fondly as we continue our work in advocacy and betterment for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.”

Ginny Gong (1993, 1994, 2005-2008) “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Past National President Andrew Chen, one of OCA’s movers and shakers during its formative years. His commitment to OCA’s mission and his advocacy on behalf of the Asian American community, on both the local and national levels, were instrumental in my decision to step up my OCA participation in the mid-1980s.  I was honored to have served with “Andy” on the Executive Council and have made every effort to keep the lessons learned from him about dedication and service in my commitment to the organization. His guiding presence will be greatly missed.”

Claudine Cheng (1991-1992): “I remembered meeting Andrew the first time in the late 1980s and how he talked passionately about the English Only initiative and anti-Asian violence. He felt that OCA should play a pivotal role in promoting awareness of these issues. He established the OCA anti-Asian violence Task Force and as a result, OCA published an Anti-Asian Violence Handbook that was distributed to the chapters and shared with the communities. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunities to work alongside Andrew and will always remember him for his foresight, passion, commitment, humbleness and friendship.”

Michael Lin (1995-1998): “While I was aware of OCA since its inception in 1973, I did not become an active member until 1989. From the beginning, the presence of Andy Chen as a former National President (from 1985-86) was much appreciated. He was fully committed to the mission of OCA which, at the time, was a highly respected emerging organization. While we will miss Andy Chen, we will uphold his vision and commitment to OCA in serving the community.”

If you, your family members, someone you know, or community members have experienced xenophobia, discrimination, or harassment, please report the incident using our hate crime/incident reporting tool at www.aapihatecrimes.org.

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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