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Founded in 1973, the OCA is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to securing the rights of Asian Pacific Americans through initiatives at all levels of the government. OCA-Westchester & Hudson Valley Chapter (OCA-WHV) is one of over 80 chapters and affiliates across the United States that strives to develop leadership, community involvement, and civil participation for all APIAs.

This past Lunar New Year, a time when we are celebrating our diverse Asian communities, we saw a rise in harassment and violence against Asian elders. 

We can't talk about racism without it.

All educators have the civic responsibility to learn and teach the basic history and tenets of this movement for racial justice.

Kelisa Wing is the author of "Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life’s Storms" and "Promises and Possibilities: Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline" (both available on Amazon). She also is a 2017 State Teacher of the year, speaker, teacher and activist for discipline reform.

Your children are paying attention. Our children’s worlds have been changed forever and a scar is being formed on their psyche that will resonate throughout their entire life. Depending on your children’s ages, they know something scary is happening and we as their parents have to acknowledge their feelings. It’s heartbreaking. Parents want their children to have normalcy and to thrive in the world but we cannot do this when the world is on fire right in front of us. Black parents can’t raise children in a normal environment when their very life is at stake because of racism and hate. We are in a social justice war and we are witnessing a revolution.

by:  Natalie McCabe Zwerger she/her/ella

Dear white family and friends, fellow white people I don’t know, white-identified people, and non-Black people in general, receive this in the spirit with which it is offered. I want to help you navigate the moment we are in. Let’s accept and acknowledge that the fires we see burning now should be emblems of our internal and collective battles to not be our ancestors. To not continue legacies of hatred, enslavement, dehumanization, and racism.

With protests over the violent deaths of black Americans dominating the news, it’s understandable that many kids are feeling scared, confused or angry about the situation. How can parents, many of whom are struggling themselves, help children process what they’re seeing and manage their feelings?

There’s no one right answer. That said, there are a few guidelines parents can keep in mind to help kids deal with troubling news about race and violence.