On behalf of the entire board of OCAW, we wish to express our grief and sadness over the tragic events at Virginia Tech. This is truly an American tragedy. We share in the nation’s heartache at seeing so many promising young lives lost, and we share in the indescribable suffering this has caused the families of the victims. To them we offer our sincere condolences.

As Asian Pacific Americans, we stand with all Americans in coping with this tragedy. And as community leaders, we will do all in our power to facilitate a constructive and healing dialogue, and a proactive process that will help prevent future irrational acts of violence.