AWARE (Advocacy and Workshops for Asian American Rights and Empowerment) Ohio is a statewide, nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2025 to empower first- and second-generation Asian Americans through civic education, leadership development, cultural dialogue, and storytelling. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 39-3419814).Â
Our mission is to uplift Asian American communities by strengthening civic engagement, amplifying community voices, and sharing both historical and present-day experiences of our community. We strive to raise public awareness of the issues that impact Asian Americans in Ohio and are deeply committed to building coalitions and fostering solidarity with other marginalized communities in pursuit of a more just and equitable future.
Originally founded as the Ohio Chinese American Council (OHCAC), our organization began as a grassroots coalition of Chinese American Ohioans united in opposition to HB1 and SB88, discriminatory legislation that threatened immigrant communities across the state. From that collective movement, AWARE Ohio was born, grounded in the belief that long-term empowerment comes through education, representation, and collective action across the Asian American community.