克利夫兰及周边地区消息
　

APIA Presidential Town Hall & OCA National

 Convention held in Birthplace of America

 by Wayne A. Wong
  This year’s OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates National Convention was special, as OCA partnered with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) to hold concurrent conventions and summits with shared programing, held in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America. The multi-day event was highlighted by APIAVote’s non-partisan Presidential Town Hall on Saturday July 17 during which US Presidential candidates or representatives are invited to engage with the nearly 2000 attendees.


   Madame Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Asian-American, Black, and woman to hold the office, spoke energetically about the Biden-Harris re-election campaign and work they have been doing that benefits the APIA community. Unfortunately, no representative for the Republican / Trump campaign attended to engage with the APIA audience.
   In addition to VP Harris, a rousing opening speech was given by actress and activist Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Karate Kid II) with a call to action for we, the “Golden” people. Other notable speakers were US Representative Judy Chu (D-Ca), US Representative Ted Lieu (D-Ca), and Hawaii US Representative Jill Tokuda and US Senator Mazi Hirono.


   Meanwhile, the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall was streamed throughout the country, and OCA Greater Cleveland also partnered with MotivAsians and AsiaTown Cleveland to host a local watch party at Li Wah Restaurant to ensure the messaging reached our local community.
   The trip to Philadelphia was moving and gave me a sense of deep patriotism. Prior to the start of the convention, my family explored the city and in particular the Museum of the American Revolution. A wonderful experience to learn more about the struggles, heroics, and victories of George Washington and the USA’s other founding fathers. Starting the trip with this reminder that the democracy that we so much enjoy in the USA was hard-won and must be protected. This mindset was amplified during the convention and reinforced during the speeches given during the Presidential Town Hall.
   The OCA Greater Cleveland chapter had over 10 people attend the conference: President Lisa Wong, VP Administration Wayne Wong, Secretary Vera Boggs, Fellow Feiran Yang, interns Alex Wong, Suzie Horejs, and Alex Boggs, and members/affiliates Kat Szeto, Samantha Wong, Anna Chen, Linh Ta, and Kayli Rego.
   In addition to many diverse sessions and informative panel discussions, the OCA Convention also had a Youth Recognition Lunch to recognize National interns as well as interns from the local chapters; a Chapter of the Year Awards presentation - where OCA Greater Cleveland won 3rd Place for Project of the Year; and a formal Gala to cap the event.
   It was a very worthwhile trip to the City of Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love to celebrate democracy, unity, and America. Next year’s OCA National Convention will be held in Seattle, Washington. To learn more about the OCA Greater Cleveland Chapter or to join, visit: https://ocagc.org.