About Okada

The Asian American theme house was established at Stanford in 1971 to create community and center the experiences of a very small and primarily first generation Asian American student population. Renamed in 1979 after John Okada who is recognized as the first Asian American novelist, Okada House continues to explore and celebrate the diversity of Asian American peoples, cultures, and languages in a historical and contemporary context.

In addition to fostering a warm and vibrant community, Okada serves as a focal point for students in the residence and across campus to explore the Asian American experience and what it means to be Asian in America–how it is experienced by those who are connected to an Asian identity, as well as by those who are not (and the people who feel in-between).

Through weekly presentations by upperclass residents on topics such as Immigration Narratives, Intersectional Identities, and Art & Activism; dynamic programs with faculty; trips to local community organizations such as the South Asian Radical History Walking Tour; teach-ins at the People’s Teahouse; student group performances and events; critical conversations; and the lived experience, Okada creates an inclusive space where people of all identities and backgrounds can be vulnerable, explore identity, and uplift their voices together as a community.

All residents, Asian-American or not, contribute to the vibrancy of our dorm community. We have two main goals: First, to be a community in which the residents living in Okada feel at home and are cared for – Okada Means Family. Second, to serve as space for the campus community to explore, engage in, and thinking critically about the Asian American experience.

Here we are!

Our address:

Okada - Wilbur Hall
658 Escondido Road
Stanford, CA 94305