OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates

Our Mission

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

To fulfill its mission, OCA has established the following goals:

• to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment;
• to promote civic participation, education, and leadership;
• to advance coalitions and community building; and
• to foster cultural heritage.

Founded in 1973, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is the second oldest civil rights organization dedicated to advocating for social, economic, and political well-being of all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. A national, membership-based organization, OCA was founded by the St. Louis, Detroit, and Washington, DC chapters with a mission to conduct policy and advocacy work in the nation’s capitol as well as programming and community development in chapters across the country. From advocating on behalf of Vincent Chin’s family, to establishing the federally recognized Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, to fighting voter suppression laws in various states, OCA has an extensive legacy of legislative and cultural wins for the AAPI community. However, there is continued need to fight for language access, immigration reform, digital literacy and broadband access, and diversity and inclusion within all kinds of spaces, which OCA tackles at both national and grassroots levels.