May Day Action & Rally: SOLIDARIDAD, HECHO A MANO Y SIN PERMISO
(Workers & Immigrants Build Power Together)
📅 Date: Thursday, May 1st
🕛 Time: 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
🔗 RSVP at the link provided. Let us know if you're attending so we can coordinate a meetup.
📎 More info: https://www.seattlemayday.org/

Join workers, immigrants, and community members as we take to the streets for International Workers' Day. In the face of escalating attacks on immigrant workers and labor rights, this year's May Day action demands:

• Protection for federal workers

• The right to organize

• Defense of immigrant workers and families

• The closure of the for-profit Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma

• Freedom for union siblings Lelo and Lewelyn, and all those unjustly detained

*Disclaimer* OCA-GS is posting this event on our Community Calendar as a service to the community. Date/Time/Location details are subject to change.

Conference of Resistance to Deportation

📅 Date: Saturday, May 3rd
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Location: South Seattle (shared upon registration for security) or via Zoom 
🔒 Registration Required to receive a confirmation email to enter
📎 More information & agenda: https://lelo.org/join-us
📞 If you have any questions or would like to attend, feel free to contact Amy Leong - (206)-886-1618.

APALA Seattle is proud to co-sponsor this conference, led by Standing for Democracy (SFD), a coalition of labor unions, scholars, and community advocates committed to  to defending democracy and workers’ rights in the face of growing anti-democratic forces.  For security reasons we are not publicizing the exact location of the conference until the last minute. Registrants will be sent the location address with the email provided. You can attend in-person or join on Zoom.  Panel topics include:

• Defending Immigrant Rights (led by NW Immigrant Rights Project)
• Allies in Resistance (led by Casa Latina)
• The Role of Elected Officials in the Resistance
• Affirmative Litigation Strategies
• Rapid Response Training

We hope to see you there in solidarity!

*Disclaimer* OCA-GS is posting this event on our Community Calendar as a service to the community. Date/Time/Location details are subject to change.

Dear Community:

I’m excited to invite you to join us for a special summit forum hosted by the Ethiopian Community of Seattle as part of the Housing Development Consortium’s Affordable Housing Week!

If you are engaged in housing development, funding and acquisition, or community development, this event will be an important opportunity to hear from community leaders, elected officials, and public agencies working to advance housing justice and equitable development in our region.

The summit will feature opening remarks from:

• Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

• Office of Congressman Adam Smith

• Senator Rebecca Saldaña (37th Legislative District)

• Office of King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay

• Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck

• Office of Seattle Councilmember Mark Solomon

Our Community Developers Panel will include leaders from:

• Sophia Benalfew, ED of Ethiopian Community of Seattle

• Hamdi Abdulle, ED of African Community and Housing Development

• Agnes Navarro, ED of Filipino Community of Seattle

• Lalita Uppala, ED of Indian American Community Services of WA

• Francoise Milinganyo, ED of Congolese Integration Network

• (and a representative from El Centro de la Raza, pending confirmation)

Our Government and Institutional Partners Panel will feature:

• Sean Harrington,, WA State Department of Commerce

• Jenifer Chao, Director at Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

• Elsa Batres-Boni, Director at King County Communities of Opportunity

• Ubax Gardheere, Cultural Space Agency

• Representatives from Seattle OPCD and EDI

• Yasmeen Perez, King County’s Housing and Community Development Division 

We will also have a featured presentation by Tsega Desta, Program and Housing Director at ECS, who will share the Vision for Housing and Economic Future at ECS, along with community testimonies.

Event Details:
Date: Friday, May 16, 2025
Doors Open: 9:00 AM | Program: 9:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Lunch will be provided after the program.
Location: Ethiopian Community of Seattle – Community Room, South Seattle (8323 Rainier Ave South, Suite A, Seattle, WA 98118)

Please register here: https://forms.gle/cXX7hD8FTHL7KrK4A

We would be honored to have you join us for this important conversation and gathering.
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues, partners, and community members who may be interested.

Thank you, and I hope to see you there!

Warm regards,
Sameth Mell
Spean the Bridge (formerly Partners in Change)

*Disclaimer* OCA-GS is posting this event on our Community Calendar as a service to the community. Date/Time/Location details are subject to change.

CISC’s annual fundraiser, the 2025 Friendship Dinner, is coming up on May 17th at the Museum of Flight! This special evening brings together community members, supporters, and partners to celebrate our shared impact and raise critical funds for CISC’s programs.

Stay tuned for more details—we can’t wait to share an unforgettable night with you!

*Disclaimer* OCA-GS is posting this event on our Community Calendar as a service to the community. Date/Time/Location details are subject to change.

Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with us with a virtual book talk featuring Mia Wenjen, author of the powerful new picture book "We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court." Recommended for ages 8 and up, the book tells the true story of musician Simon Tam’s years-long legal battle to reclaim his band’s name—culminating in a landmark Supreme Court decision that reshaped the conversation around free speech and anti-Asian racism in America. Attendees will have a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

The Wing Luke Museum invites the community to “Looking Forward, Looking Back,” a celebration on Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Together, we’ll honor the past, engage with the present, and shape the future of the Eng Family homestead parking lot.

In 2023, the Museum acquired the site from the Eng family to steward the homestead as part of its immersive educational programming and extend its exhibits into the community. The homestead was one of the last remaining intact single-family homes in the C-ID and an inspiring symbol of resilience, resourcefulness, and quiet resistance in the face of redlining laws prevalent at the time. The original home is being preserved, however, the parking lot is currently being assessed for alternative, creative uses.

Join us in Canton Alley, from King Street to 611 8th Ave. South, for interactive activities, artmaking, refreshments, and more—including discussions with urban planners and an opportunity to share your vision through a community survey.

Follow the Museum’s social media for updates, and learn more about the Eng family homestead here.

*Disclaimer* OCA-GS is posting this event on our Community Calendar as a service to the community. Date/Time/Location details are subject to change.