The Organization of Chinese Americans made history on Sept. 21, with the $4.1 million acquisition of their new headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
“With this purchase, OCA will be the first national APA organization to establish a permanent presence in our country’s capital,” said OCA National Center Campaign Chair Claudine Cheng. “The concept of permanency is very important as OCA has dedicated itself for over 30 years to be an effective national voice for the APA community and advocating for civil rights, and political, social and economic empowerment.”
The property is located in the prestigious Dupont Circle area in the heart of Washington, and consists of three adjoining buildings totaling over 12,000 square feet.
The new OCA headquarters will also have a community room, library, technology and media center, a gallery and board and conference rooms.
“We’re very happy that this is happening, this is a great beginning and great step for the future of OCA,” said San Francisco Bay chapter president Wai Ling Eng. “We’re hoping this building will be a home away from home for folks.”
The purchase of the building fulfills OCA’s vision of establishing the OCA National Center for APA leadership.
“My father always said, you’ve got to buy your own place if you’re going to have a successful business,” said BART Board Director James Fang.
In 1973, OCA became the first national APA organization to establish a headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“We only have a handful of APA members in Congress and it’s clearly not enough. By being close by to D.C., I hope we will be able to groom our next generation of leaders,” said Supervisor Fiona Ma.