Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates St. Louis

OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates serves the Chesterfield, MO community as a comprehensive civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights and interests of Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations. Since 1973, OCA has evolved into a prominent 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 60 chapters nationwide, providing essential services through advocacy, community education, and professional development programs. The organization operates through multiple strategic initiatives designed to create meaningful impact: voter registration and civic engagement activities that have mobilized over 2,000 local St. Louisans across all ethnicities, educational workshops addressing anti-Asian harassment and discrimination with interactive bystander intervention training, and the Mentoring Asian Pacific Professionals (MAPP) program that has served over 1,000 participants nationwide in skills building and professional networking. OCA also bridges critical gaps in community awareness through partnerships with cultural institutions like the Missouri History Museum, collaborating on the Chinese American Collecting Initiative to preserve and share the history of Chinese Americans in St. Louis. The organization combats systemic challenges including hate crimes, voting rights violations, and K-12 curriculum gaps while fostering deeper relationships between Asian Pacific American communities and government agencies, businesses, and cultural organizations. With headquarters based in Washington, D.C., the national center provides effective monitoring of legislation and policy issues, enabling OCA's St. Louis chapter to connect local advocacy efforts with broader national coalitions. OCA maintains a volunteer-driven model emphasizing community empowerment, ensuring that students, working professionals, entrepreneurs, and organizations have access to experienced leadership and comprehensive support.