OCA Greater Chicago

California makes Diwali an official statewide holiday California is the third U.S. state to designate Diwali as an official statewide holiday. The law, newly signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, takes effect January 1.

Today we remember Dr. Franklin S. Odo and the lasting impact of his life’s work. A third-generation Japanese American historian, scholar, and activist, Dr. Odo was the founding director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program (now the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center), leading it from 1997 to 2010. During his tenure, he brought national attention to AAPI history, art, and culture, ensuring they had a rightful place in the Smithsonian.

He was also the first Asian American curator at the National Museum of American History, where he worked to expand and diversify the stories told through the Smithsonian’s collections and exhibitions. Beyond the Smithsonian, he served as president of the Association for Asian American Studies - AAAS (1989–1991) and held visiting professorships during the 1990s at the University of Pennsylvania, Hunter College, Columbia University, and his alma mater, Princeton University.

Dr. Odo shaped the field of Asian American studies through his scholarship. He mentored generations of scholars and museum professionals and encouraged them to share the histories and cultural contributions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.

Historians hurriedly photograph national park signs at risk of removal.

Read more below.

Our President Mabel Menard was the special guest on this episode of Breaking Rice, filmed in August at Kapitan ( , , , ), the only Peranakan restaurant in Chicago, with owner Victor Low and co-owner of Bites Asian Kitchen ( , , , ), Felix ( ), and Cafe Flamingo ( ) Derek Intapura, during which they discussed Peranakan (Nonya) cuisine, cultural heritage, family traditions, and entrepreneurship.

The video has not yet been uploaded as of the time of this post, but please look out for it.

Crying Tiger Media COME EAT WITH US! Good Food, Cool People & All The Right Vibes! Crying Tiger Media is your destination for all things flavor, culture, and creativity. We bring you the best of Bites Asian Kitchen & Bar, Flamingo Tea, and Felix, sharing the stories, flavors, and experiences behind these unique brands...

Asian Division’s 2026 Florence Tan Moeson Fellowship:
Now accepting applications to pursue research with the Library’s Asian collections. This year’s application deadline is before midnight (ET), Sunday, January 11, 2026 for the 2026 fellowship cycle. Open to students, faculty, librarians, and independent researchers. More information, including how to apply, on the fellowship website: https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/asian/about-this-research-center/fellowship-information/.

[CAPE is only sharing this on behalf on the casting team and cannot answer inquiries. If you have questions, please send to the email below.]

OPEN CASTING CALL

Betty Mae Casting is searching for actors for a SERIES REGULAR FOR MAJOR STREAMING SERVICE.

Role: EAST ASIAN, 12-Year Old. Must be willing to shave head. Character was assigned female at birth.

SHOOTS SPRING 2026

If interested in submitting an audition, please send inquiries, headshot and resume to [email protected].

Interesting map showing the most common Southeast Asian group by county in the US! 🇵🇭 dominates, especially along the West Coast and in Hawaii, but you'll find pockets of 🇻🇳, 🇲🇲, 🇱🇦, 🇰🇭, and 🇹🇭 communities too. Notice the concentration of Vietnamese populations in Texas and Louisiana!

Via SouthEast Asian Gallery
credit: vine mapper

Kamehachi is the oldest sushi bar in Chicago, run by Giulia Sindler, whose grandmother, Marion Konishi, first opened in the Old Town neighborhood in 1967. Ms. Konishi made traditional sushi — mostly nigiri, tekka maki and kappamaki — for the Japanese American community that clustered around the Midwest Buddhist Temple. Like her, many of them had left the West Coast after being interned in camps during World War II.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/dining/america-sushi.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ok8.gRfk.hyEE1iym2NzG&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

We’re proud to announce that legendary actor, author, and activist George Takei will serve as the 2025 Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week, taking place October 5–11. He’ll be joined by youth advocate Iris Mogul, who founded a banned books club in Florida to fight censorship in schools.

This year’s theme — Censorship is so 1984. Read for Your Rights. — reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, and that censorship has no place in our society.
https://www.ala.org/news/2025/09/legendary-actorauthoractivist-george-takei-named-honorary-chair-banned-books-week-2025

If you’re Asian American, what part of Asia do you claim ethnic ancestry of?

All copies are now lost, but the 1950s TV show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong was a genuine landmark in television history: the first show with an Asian-American star and the first centred around a female sleuth.

How Anna May Wong became TV’s first female detective