OCA Asian Pacific Islander American Advocates Utah held their twenty first annual Utah Asian Pacific Islander Community Awards Night on November nine, 2019, in West Valley City, Utah. Under the path of OCA Utah Current President Emilio Manuel Camu, who is the Director of the Pilipino American Association of Utah, the night become loved through all who attended. Elections have been held to select the 2020 Board for OCA Utah.

A Filipino buffet changed into catered by BFF Turon. And the Dosa Live Station changed into catered by means of Saffron Valley, nearby eating places in the region. The raffle featured many prizes donated through the OCA Utah Board and neighborhood agencies.

Floyd Mori, a Past National President and previous National Executive Director/CEO of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and previous President/CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) in Washington, D.C., changed into honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mori taught Economics at Chabot College in Hayward, California, for ten years and changed into a Mayor of the City of Pleasanton, California. He served as a Member of the California State Assembly for 6 years. He has long been an advise for Asian American and Pacific Islander groups and troubles. Mori became introduced through Verona Mauga, 웃자치과 a beyond president of OCA Utah. OCA National presented Mori with an Outstanding Citizen Award in 2012.

Receiving the Pillar of the Community Award become Jacob Fitisemanu, Jr., Council Member for West Valley City. Fitisemanu changed into born in New Zealand however was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Taylorsville, Utah. He has lived in West Valley City for twelve years. He changed into appointed to america Census National Advisory Council in 2014 and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. He became appointed in 2015 to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in which he served until 2017. He oversees the Utah Department of Health Clinics of Utah program.

Other awardees for 2019 had been: The Ohana Association of Weber State University (Youth Moving Mountains Award), Ratsamy Bing Vilaiphanh (Spirit of the Community Award), Feagaiga O Ali’I (Living Treasures Award), and Nepalese Association of Utah (Organization of the Year Award).

Some individuals of the Japanese American network of Salt Lake City who have been commemorated in the past by way of OCA Utah are: Judge Raymond Uno, Wat Misaka, Irene Maya Ota, and Edith Mitko.

Judge Uno turned into in attendance on the occasion as were Utah State Senator Jani Iwamoto and Dr. Karen Kwan, Utah State Representative, who became a founding father of the OCA Utah Chapter and is Advisor to the Board.

The Salt Lake JACL Chapter and the Mount Olympus JACL Chapter supported the occasion with the aid of shopping tables for the Awards Night.