Feel Good Friday - Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Last week we celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in New York so this week we’re taking it back to California to highlight the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

Founded by a coalition of volunteers in 1984, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) has been located in the heart of Oakland’s Chinatown since 1996. Their mission is explained on the website, “OACC builds vibrant communities through Asian and Pacific Islander arts and cultural programs that foster inter-generational and cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, collaboration, and social justice.”

Live classes currently offered at the center include Persian belly dancing, Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement), Chinese calligraphy, Chinese music lessons and a GER youth center on Saturday afternoons that supports Mongolian youth. 

If you aren’t ready to commit to a class, check out the OACC calendar of events and make your plan to visit. Stop in before June 8th to see the multimedia Dalit art exhibition of over 30 artists, “Dalit Dreamlands: Toward an Anti-Caste Future”, or join the Southeast Asian New Year celebration on April 20th. There will be performances, workshops and vendors. Admission is free!

In addition to all the cultural events, OACC provides information on safety issues and community-based responses. Visit the resource section of the website to find out how to report a hate crime, to volunteer at a community cleanup or get connected to the Bay Area’s only Korean language toll-free navigation phone line. 

In 2021, during the COVID shutdown, OACC ran 30 virtual programs, added 41 new community partners and directly impacted 4,920 people. If you’d like to help the Oakland Asian Cultural Center build vibrant communities through AAPI arts and culture there are many ways to get involved. 

People local to the Bay Area can take a class, volunteer at an event, or rent the OACC space to host their own event. No matter where you live, you can support OACC with a donation and by amplifying their work on social media. Like the OACC Facebook page, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and follow them on Instagram @oaklandasiancc.