National Asian American Organizations Unite to Support the Sikh Community

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and OCA have established a joint fund to raise money to support the victims of the mass shooting at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

The two organizations will work with their national partners in the Sikh American community, including South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), to establish the fund. The leadership of the JACL and OCA, in conjunction with Sikh American partner organizations, will work collectively to determine one or more nonprofit organizations to allocate the funds to, based on need and potential impact.

“This fund reflects our collective value to ensure that all members of the Asian Pacific American community are supported especially in times of tragedy,” affirms Ken Lee, President of OCA.

“As a pan-Asian civil rights organization, out of this very unfortunate incident, we draw inspiration to continue our fight against all forms of hate crimes and to stand by our Sikh sisters and brothers in this very difficult time,” said Tom Hayashi, Executive Director of OCA.

Contributions to the fund will be used to support the victims of the shooting, the injured police officer and their families. All contributions are tax-deductible, based on need and input from the partner organizations, and will be used to defray the costs of medical bills, funeral expenses, psychological counseling and sustaining the lives of the family members left behind.

“In the past several days, our members from across the country have expressed a desire to show their support for the victims of the shooting,” said Priscilla Ouchida, Executive Director of the JACL. “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with and OCA as well as the Sikh American community leadership to provide our members and supporters with a way to show our support for all of those affected by this tragedy.”

To contribute to the fund, visit www.jacl.org or www.ocanational.org. Donations for this fund will be collected until August 31, 2012.

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Founded in 1929, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization concerned with issues of education, public policy and leadership development. As a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, the JACL promotes public awareness about the history and achievements of Asian American & Pacific Islanders (AAPI), identifies and trains youth for leadership and service, and pursues public policy issues that affect the AAPI community. The JACL headquarters is located in San Francisco with additional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C. JACL Contact: Priscilla Ouchida, Executive Director, pouchida@jacl.org

OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the political, social and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs). OCA Contact: Tom L. Hayashi, Executive Director, thayashi@ocanational.org