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Golden Circle Awards OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates

By Barbara Mizoguchi
NAP Editor

Left-right: Doug Chin, incoming OCA Seattle board co-president; Tomio Moriguchi, awardee; Tuk Eng, awardee; Connie So, outgoing OCA board of directors president; Dolores Sibonga, awardee; and Dylan Hartano, incoming OCA board co-president. Photo credit: Barbara Mizoguchi.

The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Seattle recently held its annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Golden Circle Awards. Approximately 500 guests gathered at Ding Feng Seafood Restaurant in Seattle, Washington, as current OCA Seattle Board of Directors President Connie So announced the organization’s past year accomplishments.

Awards were presented to: Dolores Sibonga, a 93-year-old attorney and first woman of color to serve on the Seattle City Council; Tuck Eng, a 91-year-old retired engineer and Chinatown/International District (CID) preservationist; Jackson Street Community Council (1946-1967), a model of cooperation despite inter-racial tension (The council merged with the Central Area Community Council to become the Central Seattle Community Council); and Tomio Moriguchi, an 88-year-old CID entrepreneur and patron. The event program said, “Tomio Moriguchi is a visionary … and community treasure … no one has done more for the local Asian American community …”

The awards began in 2000 honoring unsung heroes. These individuals/ organizations perform great deeds but receive little or no recognition within the Chinese American community. For more information, see: https://ocaseattle.org/.