This weekend I attended the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) National Convention in Houston, TX. The conference focused on Asian and Pacific Islander Issues and brought together many Asian American groups to discuss the issues and learn from each other. In addition to presenting the South Asian and Sikh experience, I was able to learn more about Chinese culture. On my first night I attended a cultural fair showcasing Chinese food, song and dance. In addition to the more ‘authentic’ items, I was quite entertained by the dunk tank , mechanical bull, and stomping (or stepping?) On the second day I was a speaker on a panel to discuss racial profiling and immigration. I talked about the need for us to connect with Law Enforcement, especially in today’s environment where laws, such as 1070SB which recently passed in Arizona,effectively put Police and Community on opposite sides. I showed a couple minutes of On Common Ground to illustrate an effective use of media to educate a target audience and took questions from the audience. Overall the experience was very enriching and OCA is doing a great job by bringing together diverse groups with a common goal. To learn more about OCA please visit their website. To watch the On Common Ground video, please click here. – Jasjit
