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 programming, held in Philadelphia, PA, the birthplace of America. The multi-day event was highlighted by APIAVote’s non-partisan Presidential Town Hall on Saturday, July 13, 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 the work they have been doing to benefit the APIA community. Unfortunately, no representative for the Republican / Trump campaign attended to engage with the APIA audience.
In addition to V.P. Harris, actress and activist Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Karate Kid II) gave a rousing opening speech with a call to action for We, the “Golden” people. Other notable speakers were U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Ca), U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (D-Ca), Hawaii U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda, and U.S. Senator Mazi Hirono.
Meanwhile, the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall was livestreamed throughout the country. OCA Greater Cleveland partnered with MotivAsians For Cleveland 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, V.P. of Administration Wayne Wong, Secretary Vera Boggs, Fellow Feiran Yang, interns Alex Wong, Suzie Horejs, and Alex Boggs, and members/affiliates Katherine 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 for the Cleveland Asian Festival; and a formal Gala to cap the event.
OCA Greater Cleveland and OCA Columbus at the OCA National Convention Awards Gala on Saturday, July 13, 2024, following the AANHPI Presidential Town Hall.
Watch the recorded Livestream of the AANHPI Presidential Town Hall HERE.