Check it. OCA recently announced the development of its first-ever National Civil Rights Fellowship Program, a two-year fellowship that will provide hands-on training for young leaders on issues like immigration, hate crimes and hate speech, education, and glass ceilings. Beginning this June, OCA will recruit and select one new Fellow each year. But it won't happen without your help. OCA chapters have kicked off a fundraising campaign for the first fellowship by pledging a matching grant of $25,000. This May, your donation toward OCA's National Civil Rights Fellowship Program will not only help launch the career of the next APA civil rights leader, but also be matched dollar-for-dollar through May 31. Here's some more information:
Housed at the OCA National Center in Washington, DC, each Fellow will work closely with the OCA National Center staff and coalition partners in the civil rights and social justice arena to advance the well being of APA communities. Fellows will not only focus on select policies and legislation affecting APAs in the nation’s capital through outreach to entities like the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders, but also work closely with OCA’s 80 chapters and affiliates across the country to engage our members on issues important to local communities.This sounds like an amazing opportunity, and this is a chance to make sure your giving goes towards raising up a new generation of leadership from our community. With your support, OCA will select its first-ever Fellow in time to introduce him or her this summer at the 2011 OCA National Convention in New York City.
As OCA prepares to engage APA community members in their civic duties in 2012 through citizenship workshops, voter registration campaigns, and voter education initiatives, the Fellow will also play an essential role in ensuring our community is visible and heard. We hope you take a moment today to pledge your support for OCA’s National Civil Rights Fellowship Program. Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar toward our May goal of $50,000.
To make an online donation to OCA, go here. For further information about the work OCA is doing, check out the OCA National website here.