Press Releases
The latest news and updates from OCA National Center. Send media inquiries to Communications Associate Socheata Sun: socheata.sun@ocanational.org.
OCA Celebrates Postal Service’s New Forever Stamp Honoring the Year of the Tiger
The commemorative Lunar New Year stamp, unveiled by USPS on Thursday and made possible by decades of advocacy, is now available to buy nationwide.
Asian American Groups Say University of Pennsylvania’s Failure to Fire Racist Law Professor Amy Wax is “Simply Unacceptable”
In a letter to Penn President Amy Gutmann and Penn Law, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates said Wax’s tenured status “should not shield her from removal of her position or accountability for her actions.”
AAPI Advocates Respond to President Biden’s Voting Rights Speech in Georgia
Today, the president spoke about the urgent need for Congress to pass voting rights protections to preserve our democracy. We support this call, and meaningful change will only be possible through changes to the Senate rules.
OCA and JACL Release Joint Statement on the Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection
The armed assault on the U.S. Capitol one year ago signals a grim future if we fail to combat voter suppression and disinformation.
OCA Praises Selection of USTR Katherine Tai as Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on AANHPIs
The historic initiative was launched Thursday with a broad mandate to tackle numerous crises facing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
AAPI Advocates Applaud House Passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The bill, which represents the largest investment in America’s infrastructure in nearly a century, is set to benefit millions of AAPI families.
OCA Applauds Build Back Better Framework, Reiterates Support for Bipartisan Infrastructure Package
After months of negotiations, the agreement unveiled by the White House marks a key step forward in supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Native, AAPI Activists Urge Riverside Unified School District to Mandate Indigenous Cultural Training
In a letter to administrators, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates called on the district to take proactive measures after videos of a California high school teacher “war hooping and tomahawk chopping” went viral.
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates Names Thu Nguyen as Executive Director, Ken Lee as CEO Emeritus
Nguyen will take the reins of the national AAPI nonprofit in early November while Lee will transition into an advisory role following decades of service.
OCA to Honor T-Mobile, 7 Asian American Leaders at 30th Annual Corporate Achievement Awards Gala
Dr. Karen Eng, Board Chair of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, will receive the 2021 OCA Executive Excellence Award.
OCA National Center Names Jessica Wong as First-Ever S.Y. & S.F. Fung Public Service Scholar
The University of Massachusetts Boston graduate student will be awarded $2,000 as part of OCA’s mission to increase AAPI participation in advocacy and government.
AAPI Activists Condemn Mistreatment of Haitian Migrants, Urge DHS to Halt Deportation Flights
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates and other civil rights groups met with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last Friday.
19 AAPI Students Named OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship Recipients
As part of a historic partnership with the UPS Foundation, 15 graduating AAPI high school seniors will each be awarded $2,000, while 4 rising college seniors will receive $2,500 scholarships.
OCA, AAFEN Commend the Acquittal of Former University of Tennessee Professor Anming Hu
The groups called on the U.S. Department of Justice to meet with AAPI civil rights organizations to rebuild community trust after a federal judge ended the agency’s second attempt to prosecute Hu on Thursday.
AAPI Advocates Denounce Texas’ Assault on Reproductive Rights
Texas law S.B. 8, which bans a majority of abortions in the state, threatens the health of millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
OCA Calls on States to Mandate Data Collection Following Release of 2020 FBI Hate Crime Statistics
While the FBI’s annual report confirms a sharp rise in attacks against Asian Americans, activists say the data fails to capture the true scope of the violence that the community has experienced during the coronavirus pandemic.
OCA Seeks Expansion of In-Language Federal Resources for Asian Louisianans In Wake of Ida
Advocates say Louisiana’s diverse Asian American population would benefit from translated FEMA and Small Business Administration resources during the recovery process.
AAPI Civil Rights Groups Ask Biden to Pause DOJ’s China Initiative, Redouble Efforts to Combat Anti-Asian Violence Ahead of U.S. COVID-19 Origins Report
Two weeks after meeting with President Biden and Vice President Harris at the White House, 20+ Asian American and Pacific Islander Advocacy organizations shared concerns that the report’s release could fuel an increase in hate incidents.
OCA Urges Biden to Designate Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status, Employ Emergency Humanitarian Parole
Amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, OCA pressed federal agencies to use all available tools to bring at-risk Afghans to safety.