Thanksgiving Newsletter

Thanksgiving is a special time each year when we come together as family and friends to create cherished memories. Despite the struggles our community has faced in the past few years, we have made some progress in Ohio and nationally to make the AAPI voice louder. This year, AACO and OCAA worked on a number of items that contributed to that:

  • Submitted testimony to the Ohio Senate to support the Asian American History Education bill cosponsored by Senators Tina Maharath and Kenny Yuko.

  • Supported nationwide coalition efforts to ask the Department of Justice to end the racist “China Initiative”, which they did on February 23, 2022.

  • Continued our fight for justice for Chinese American scientist Sherry Chen by collaborating with APA Justice and other community organizations and members of Congress; the U.S. The Departments of Commerce and Justice entered a historic settlement with Sherry on November 10, 2022.

  • Hosted the 2022 Greater Cincinnati AAPI Heritage Celebration and Award Gala joined by 30+ AAPI organizations and hundreds of people from the area.

  • Selected, trained and placed over 15 public service interns at state legislature and local municipal government offices (Internship Graduation Galas: Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland).

  • Hosted a small business entrepreneur webinar, lunch with seniors, college application webinars, and a number of other community building events.

  • Organized a series of voter engagement events including the 2022 AAPI Community Candidate Forum online, and co-organized the 2022 AAPI Phone Banking program along with Asian Services in Action to make 25,900 calls to encourage our community members to participate in the midterm elections.


We are especially thankful to three Asian women in Ohio who represented us well and and empowered our community:


  • Sherry Chen, national award winning scientist at the National Weather Service, created one of the largest hydraulic models in the U.S. which is used by many government agencies, universities and industry consulting firms. Sherry was subject to illegal surveillance, wrongful termination, wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution by the U.S. government for 10 years. After Congressional investigation revealed that the Commerce Department illegally spied on, and targeted Asian American employees including Sherry Chen last year, and the American Civil Liberties Union and Cooley LLP joined Sherry in her civil case again the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the government entered an unprecedented settlement with Sherry Chen on November 10, 2022 to end the 10-year injustice. Sherry gave many seminars in educating the public about racial justice. Her courage and persistence have inspired tens of thousands of people. Sherry Chen received the Community Hero Award at the 2018 Ohio AAPI Civic Leadership Forum.

  • Dr. Cora Muñoz, Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor at Capital University, President of the Asian Festival Corporation and the Ohio Asian American Health Coalition, recently received the 2022 Healthcare Justice Award presented by PrimaryOne Health, one of the largest healthcare networks in Ohio. Cora is an author, consultant, national and international speaker, Fulbright Scholar, diversity trainer, health advocate and a community worker. She served for many years as the Governor-appointed commissioner and as Vice-Chair of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. She is also a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Council to the Governor where she has served as Chair of the Health committee.

  • Dr. Anita Somani, MD, an Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist affiliated with OhioHealth with 30+ years of experience in the medical field. In the 2022 mid-term election, Anita was elected as the state representative to Ohio House District 11, which encompasses Dublin and Hilliard. Dr. Somani is an American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Fellow, a Past President of the Columbus OB/GYN Society, a member of the Academy of Medicine and the Ohio State Medical Association, a board member of the St. Ann’s Perinatal Peer Review and past board member of the Knightsbridge Surgery Center. She has served as a delegate and alternate delegate to the Ohio State Medical Association.


This holiday season, we hope you take a moment to appreciate family, friends and community, and envision ways you want to contribute to building a better world. We are thankful for your ongoing support, and wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.


Best,

Ohio Asian American Association (OCAA)

Asian American Coalition of Ohio (AACO)


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