Organization of Chinese Americans
Eastern Virginia Chapter

Newsletter

Vol. 11, No. 4                 November, 1999

Chapter President’s Message

Dear OCA Colleagues, Friends, and Fellow Chinese-Americans:

As the year and the century come to a close, I encourage everyone to prepare to meet the challenge of the new millenium. Let me first thank all officers, directors, and project leaders, for your dedicated services during my tenure.

We are very happy to report that our membership has increased by 36% this year. We have also increased our services to local APA community and student Organizations. We will have a bigger voice only when we become larger. Membership recruitment and retention should still be our top priority of work for the next millennium.

Thanks to Mr. Stanley Tseng for an office space that OCA can use free of charge again this year. Through checking mails and retrieving phone messages in the office regularly by the Executive Committee members, OCA can now serve its members and the public better. Fundraising for an OCA permanent office has been a major task for the Chapter. Henrietta Au, Fundraising chair, and other loyal OCA members have been contributing significantly to the effort. Hopefully, we will soon have a permanent office of our own in the next millennium. Let us work together to achieve this important goal.

For membership services, Vice President Raymond Wu organized a multi-function Spring Gathering in May. Membership Chair Gene Hou initiated Chinese New Years greeting in February and then a Fall Bus Trip to the Shenandoah National Park in mid-October. Education Chair Judy Chou revitalized the Youth Group and conducted a successful Summer Picnic including sport competitions in July. Our Project Leader, Peter Chang has been conducting a Senior Lunch on the second Tuesday every month at CCC with a S. E. VA Areawide Model Program (SEVAMP) grant. The participation in all above activities was overwhelming.

Meeting OCA's main mission, Legislative Affairs Chair David Li conducted an excellent Legislative Forum on Hate Crime in September. Two congressmen, 12 State Senate and House candidates, and more than 160 audiences of Asian-/Chinese- Americans and others participated in the forum. Publication Chair Stewart Shen has restored regular publications of the quarterly Chapter Newsletters with high quality. Chapter Affairs Chair William Din has been promoting voter registration continuously throughout the year. Excellent coordination and mutual assistance among various committees have made all the events very successful. Many enthusiastic volunteers whose names can not be cited in here due to space limitation have been extremely helpful to our success.

OCA has made significant impacts on the community. We responded to two discrimination cases; one for a faculty at ODU and the other for a high school student. In February, we challenged the WTKR Channel 3 to preserve reputation of overall Chinese restaurant business. In May, OCA was instrumental to the first Asian-Pacific American Award Luncheon to recognize APA's contributions in the area. The Chapter also joined other Asian-American organizations for hate crime prevention and awareness initiatives.

In recent months, the Chapter has assisted victims from robbery, murder, and natural disasters such as the killing of a clerk at a Chinese restaurants locally and earthquake in Taiwan. We also called attention to the Virginia Beach referendum of Light Rail. The list could go on and on.

Before closing, I wish to thank Kelly Chen, Christina Li, and Shewling Wong for their extraordinary volunteer effort, and Stanley Tseng, Luke Lu, and Frank Fang for their generous financial support.

Many tasks are still ahead of us in the next millennium. Your continuing support will be essential for achieving the American dream for all Chinese-/Asian-Americans. Best wishes!

Very truly yours,

Leon R L. Wang,
President

P.S. We are saddened by the sudden death of a loyal member and fine community leader, Mr. Robert G.B.D. Wong. Our condolence goes to the Wong family.

OCA National News

(Website: http://www.ocanatl.org/)

National Service Project for 1999
Campaign to Promote Literacy and Diversity in the Community

OCA obtained a corporate sponsor, Anheuser-Busch, which provided $12,000 in support of this project. The national campaign adopted a two-prong approach: first, to highlight the contributions of Asian Pacific American (APA) authors and literature to public libraries across the nation by providing books and other reading materials authored by APAs; and second, to encourage the public to read and learn more about the APA community and people by increasing the availability of publications written by APA authors at public libraries. Another component of the project was to have information on APA literature and authors on the OCA website that libraries and chapters can refer to.

National Board Meeting

The meeting was held on October 30-31, in Detroit. OCA/EVC president Dr. Leon Wang and Mrs. Joyce Wang, a proxy for Dr. Raymond Wu, V. P. attended the meeting. Various OCA local chapters made cash donations to the National organization for its needs in its valuable operations. OCA/EVC also contributed $200 this year, as in years past.

Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus Briefing

OCA Executive Director Daphne Kwok addressed on Oct. 5 the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus at a briefing on the impact of federal counter-intelligence and security investigations at the Department of Energy national laboratories on the Asian Pacific American community. She presented the issue of Asian Pacific Americans being the "Americanized Foreigners" who had become the scapegoats for America's ills whether for the lax security at the Labs, the campaign finance system, the draining of welfare benefits, or the overpopulation of this nation due to this nation's immigration laws. She maintained that APAs constantly had to prove their loyalty to the U.S.

The 80-20 Initiative (http://80-20.net)

The 80/20 Initiative is a national, non-partisan appeal initiated by a group of Chinese Americans but has expanded to include all Asian Americans (AA). The basic idea is to take advantage of the heavy AA concentration in Calif. -- 7% of the registered voters in a state with 54 electoral votes and an early March, 2000 presidential primary -- to make Asian American voters a swing factor in the next presidential election, thereby inducing both major political parties to work hard to accord AAs with equal opportunity. 80/20 means if 80% of Asian American voters support this idea, we will become a powerful swing vote and through which we shall win our first-class-citizenship.

Better than 90% of AAs, whose e-mail addresses the group had access to, have became supporters. The rate of expansion was exponential. By end of this year, the group expects that the rank of supporters will grow to 100,000. The group hopes to form a Pan Asian American Coalition of equal partners. As individual communities, our voices were not heard. However, TOGETHER WE SHALL OVERCOME. We as well as our children will benefit. America will become a "more perfect Union."

From outside of the Chinese American community, the Pakistani-American community joined forces with the 80 -20 Initiative on 9/27. It followed by three weeks the joining of the Filipino-American community. The combined population of the Pakistani-, Chinese-, and Filipino-American population is about 5 million, accounting for roughly 50% of the entire Asian American community. Leaders of the Initiative have expressed the wish that other Asian American communities including Indian-, Japanese-, Korean- and Vietnamese-American communities would soon join forces with 80-20.

OCA/EVC News

1999 Annual Meeting
Celebrating the Growth of OCA toward the New Millennium

The important and exciting annual meeting is to take place on Saturday, November 20. Mark your calendar!

In addition to the very important election and business reports, we have a program with the theme Celebrating the Growth of OCA and Entering the New Millennium. There will be short speeches; video presentations and a slide show. Awards to outstanding youth and adults will be presented. There will also be great food for dinner. Please do not miss this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in this Total Experience of high tech presentation and reserve your seats early!

· Time: 6:30 PM, Saturday, Nov. 20, 1999.

· Location: Chinese Community Center, 722 Newtown Road, Virginia Beach.

· Tickets: Limited to 150 persons by reservation, first come first served, primary contact: Raymond Wu at 496-5646.

· Price: member $20, non-member $25, senior or student $10.

3rd Annual Legislative Forum Successfully Held

The Forum on Hate Crime was successfully held on September 25 at the Chinese Community Center in Virginia Beach. A total of 19 politicians agreed to come. Among them, 12 congressmen, house delegates and political candidates did attend the Forum. Besides the politicians, there were more than 160 audiences from various local communities. This was a very impressive number considering the fact that there was a conflict of schedule with a couple of weddings on that day. The presentations, discussions, and the meeting atmosphere were very good. A survey indicated that audiences considered the theme of the forum to be very appropriate. The politicians learned that we meant business and what we wanted. The event was announced on the Virginia Pilot. There was also a short local Channel 3 TV interview. OCA/EVC has made a fine impact on the community.

In addition to those officially responsible, various individuals worked hard for or contributed much to the Forum. They included Christina Li, Stanely Tsang, Wu Li, Johnson Wong, Enoch Wong, Larry Li and his ODU friends, and others.

OCA/EVC Members Attended Service
Honoring Hate Crime Victims

OCA President, Dr. Leon R. Wang and members, Drs. Ping Tcheng, President of ALPHA and Joyce C. Wang attended a Ecumenical Memorial Service organized by the Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Federation of Filipino-American Association (NFFAA) at the San Lorenzo Spiritual Center, Virginia Beach on Sunday October 10. The service was to honor the Filipino postal worker killed in California and other hate crime victims in this country. President and Mrs. Wang joined other community leaders in lighting candles to memorize hate crime victims in their communities. Before the service, President Wang spoke to a news reporter and indicated that "We should stand together against hate crimes. Education on "Love" not "Hate" is needed. We are a part of America and we can not stand alone."

Supporting Taiwan Earthquake Victims

Recent earthquakes in Taiwan were deadly serious. OCA members nationwide have taken actions to help. Locally, OCA/EVC member Kelly Chen volunteered to contact the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C. for the most effective and efficient way to contribute to the relief effort. Among many agencies that are accepting contributions, two tax deductible agencies are American Red Cross International Response Fund and Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation USA. The hopefully fastest way to help is through "Taiwan Earthquake Relief Fund", to which non-deductible donations may be wired to Riggs Bank: account number 17306006, 1913 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20036.

Locally, many OCA/EVC members and others have contributed a total of thousands of dollars to help. Kelly Chen and her husband Joe Wong have contributed $500 each to Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi and GENERAL BANK BLIA-TW. Our president Leon Wang made a donation of $100 to American Red Cross. We encourage all to make donations in any amount to help relieve the victims. For more information and update, you may contact Leon Wang at 640-0533 or by e-mail: leonwang@aol.com.

Shenandoah National Park Foliage Trip

It is well known that the Shenandoah National Park on the Skyline Drive is a great place to visit, particularly around the middle of October for its colorful fall foliage. On the other hand, it is not easy for many people in our community to take such a long trip. To provide another service to our community, Dr. Gene Hou, an OCA/EVC director, took the initiative and spent a lot of efforts in organizing an OCA-sponsored bus trip to the park.

Starting early at 6:50 A. M. on October 16, forty-five people, members as well as non-members, boarded a chartered tour bus to embark on the full day trip. It was a bright sunny day, with the blue sky decorated with the right amount of beautiful clouds. Along the way, many people had their minds melted in the beautiful tree-lined Virginia Interstate highway and the changing scenery of rivers, forests, meadows, farms, and mountains. Many others passed part of the time by watching onboard movies and singing Karaoke. What awaited all at the various destinations was truly incredible. Everyone got their eyes full of sceneries of valleys filled with the rich colors of autumn. Many hiked to the top of Stony Man Cliff at Skyland and enjoyed the broad mountaintop view of the picturesque Shenandoah Valley. Then, they trekked a rough, wooded, nature trail down to the Dark Hollow Falls near Big Meadows and enjoyed roaring waterfalls.

Although the drive was long and so are the hikes, being excited by the awesome experience, many senior participants still asked, on the way back: "Is OCA going to sponsor another trip next year?" The answer is: OCA would love to do that, as long as more people will join OCA and support the organization. Only then can OCA afford the manpower, money, and other resources to do this and other good things again and again.

Steven Kung Selected for Kennedy Center Intern

Steven Kung, a past OCA/EVC Youth Group leader and son of OCA/EVC past president Dr. James Kung, has been selected from a pool of 600 applicants to be one of the Kennedy Center's 30 fall interns. The Kennedy Center Internship Program is recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the "Top 100 Internships" in the United States. Congratulations to Steven for this honor. Steven was a graduate from Kempsville High in 1995 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from UVA in 1999.

Welcome New and Returning Members

We take the pleasure to welcome our new and returning members. The following have joined since our last issue of Newsletter:

· Denise Canonija, Student member

· Dr. & Mrs. Jiashi Hou, family member

· Mr. & Mrs. Tan-Hung Hou, family member

· Mr. & Mrs. Andy Wu, family member

· Mr. & Mrs. Tong Young, family member

Introducing an OCA/EVC New Member

Robert E. Wone, a native New Yorker who is returning to the Tidewater region. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he attended college at William & Mary, immediately followed by law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently he is working as a law clerk to a US District Court Judge in Norfolk, Virginia. In spare time, he serves as the Norfolk Alumni Admissions Coordinator for the College of William & Mary. Previously, he was a member of OCA Long Island. We welcome him and hope that he can be active in our community and our organization.

Robert G.B.D. Wong
Passed away on October 21, 1999

We are saddened that beloved and well respected Mr. Robert G.B.D. Wong passed away on October 21. He was the first president of the Chinese Community Association of Hampton Roads and the Wong Association. He was also a major contributor for the Chinese Community Center in Virginia Beach. He served as an advisor for OCA/EVC. He was the retired owner of the Ho Ho Restaurant in Chesapeake. His many contributions to the community will continue to be remembered and cherished by many. He will stay in our memory and we wish the best to his survivors. May his spirit continue to inspire us!

Living In America

We Served With Pride:
The Chinese American Experience in WWII

Few people realized that WWII was a major turning point for the Chinese American community. Prior to the war, Chinese still faced discrimination and could not apply for citizenship, obtain decent jobs, buy property, or have access to a quality education as a result of the many exclusion acts passed by Congress beginning in 1882. When the exclusion acts were finally repealed in 1943, many Chinese Americans were drafted or enlisted into the armed services and sent overseas to defend the U.S. Of the 20,000 who served, 39% were foreign-born and were naturalized as citizens when they entered the service. After the war, many Chinese Americans took advantage of the benefits offered by the G.I. Bill and were able to go to school and buy homes and businesses. (Editor: The preceding paragraph was extracted from an e-mail about a documentary film with the above title.)

Among 20,000 Chinese-American Veterans during WWII, 25 were chosen for interview in this film. Dr. Leon Wang found out that OCA/EVC's life member Nancy Mah's older brother, Earnest Eng was one of the 25 veterans interviewed in the feature film. Mr. Eng retired from US Army in the 50th at the rank of Colonel

Keeping an Eye on Asia

If you want to know what are going on in Asia, then there is a very good WWW site, AsiaNow, from the editors of CNN, Time, and Asiaweek, at: http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/index.html. If you like to read news in Chinese, then you can visit TWnet News Center at: http://www.twnet.com/news/. The Taiwan Documents Project at http://newtaiwan.virtualave.net/ contains full text historical documents for scholars and researchers.

Y2K Problems for Your PC

The year 2000 is rapidly approaching, and there are simple steps you can take to get your hardware, software and data ready. Microsoft has set up a Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/y2k where you can get year 2000 information and Microsoft software updates. Other major software vendors most likely have similar Web sites that you can visit.

Pagoda Oriental Garden
Project at Critical Moment

Most of us should have already received a fund raising letter from the Friends of the Pagoda & Oriental Garden Foundation seeking help in showing the city of Norfolk that the Chinese American Community would like the oriental garden construction to start this year without any further delay.

OCA-EVC is one of the organizations that formed the Foundation more than a year ago. The Foundation worked with the city very closely to come up with a design for the oriental garden. However when the plan was put up for bid in September this year, the lowest bid was about $50,000 over the total amount in the city budget and the donations combined.

According to Dr. Raymond Wu, President of the Foundation, the response to the fundraising letter was very heart warming. Several thousand dollars were collected or pledged at press time from the local Chinese American community. He was most pleased that someone initiated an "in memory of" fund to honor Mr. Steven Yee, a well known local resident who recently passed away. At the rate additional donations were coming in, the Foundation is very hopeful that the project can go ahead this year.

The Cannonball Trail, a new heritage trail being promoted by the city will include the Pagoda, the MacArthur Memorial, the Nauticus, and the Waterside. The plan of the Oriental Garden includes a gold fish pond, three Oriental gates, a water fall, a soil retaining wall surrounding the garden, an underground sprinkler system, and carefully chosen oriental trees and greenery. This will be a local attraction every out of town visitor has to visit.

If you would like to help make the garden a reality, please call immediately either Raymond at 496-5646, or Jane Tcheng, Treasurer of the Foundation at 423-1429, or send a check to Pagoda & Garden Foundation, c/o Jane Tcheng, 5922 Powhatan Ave., Norfolk, VA 23508.

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last update: 11/12/99