[PHOTO] Taiwan: Through the Lens of an ABT

By Benjamin Dunn PHOTO CAPTION This past December was my first time traveling back to Taiwan in over nine years. And the last time I went, I was 10, so I honestly don’t remember much from my trip then. It was truly a life changing experience and one that has changed my perspective not only on Taiwan, but also on the United States. And as a photographer, I wanted to document every bit of my journey through Taiwan with my mother and cousin. After visiting my family in Kaohsiung, we decided…

Family: Help Bring Home Ellie’s Baby Sister from Taiwan

         After a 13-year journey to become parents, Brian and Debbie Dunn adopted their amazing daughter Ellie from Taiwan. In October, they learned Ellie's biological sister was now available to be adopted from Taiwan and the birthmother would like to keep the sisters together. Read their heartfelt letter below and see how you can help. Dear TaiwaneseAmerican.org, we are the Dunns (Brian, Debbie and Ellie) from Georgetown, Texas. Our daughter Ellie is Taiwanese and became a part of our…

Survey on Culture and Identity for Asian American High School Students

Are you a high school aged student or a parent of one? Are you interested in the Asian American experience and how it affects perceptions of identity? Read on to see how you can help and be rewarded with a $10 gift card! HELLO! My Name is Wells Ling, and I am currently a graduate student at Saint Louis University working towards my doctorate in developmental psychology. As a second generation Taiwanese American growing up in the Midwest, I rarely wondered or truly appreciated my family’s…

A Plea for Baby Benjamin: Join the Bone Marrow Registry

Update 10/7/14 From Benjamin's Carepage... Brave Benjamin earned his angel wings and passed away to heaven peacefully in his mommy's arms on October 6, 2014. He touched so many lives during his 6.5 weeks with us... doctors, nurses, friends, family, and people who never met him, but were inspired by his story to join the bone marrow donor registry. We truly hope that at least one of you will be a match and save a life. Benjamin's doctors confirmed that he had a match, but his HLH took too great…

Why I Fight to “Keep Taiwan Free”

      Keep Taiwan Free. Three simple words but keep Taiwan free from what? China? Why do we need to Keep Taiwan Free? Wait, but I thought Taiwan is free? These are just some of the common questions asked when people see the slogan Keep Taiwan Free. As most people know, Taiwan’s history is quite complex. It took several decades and the sacrifice of tens of thousands of citizens to get to the democracy that Taiwan is today. Yet, this young democracy is still a fragile one. Even just in…

An Interview with MeiMeiWaWa

Earlier this year we were able to meet up with Lara and Esther Veronin, two sisters who are starting their own multimedia company in Taiwan. You may have heard of Lara in the past as she's been all over the entertainment industry! She is best known as lead female singer of the band Nan Quan Mama having performed multiple duets with Jay Chou and releasing her own solo albums as well as acting in dramas. We talked about a lot of different subjects from growing up in between Taiwan and the US to…

Catching Up with Singer-Songwriter Dawen

TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been a proud supporter of talented singer-songwriter Dawen since his journey began in Chicago and then took him to Los Angeles. He began gaining immense popularity after winning Kollaboration Acoustic 4 in 2010 and after releasing his Mandarin covers of several pop songs (including Rebecca Black's "Friday"). Shortly after, he was signed to Universal Records Taiwan. TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Eric Kao recently caught up with Dawen to see how he has been doing since relocating…

ART FOR ADVOCACY: Bringing Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement to Brooklyn

By Dana Ter On a damp New York evening on May 22, just a stone throw away from Bushwick Collective on Troutman Street – a street filled with graffiti murals turned into an art gallery of sorts, the open-air Bat Haus Coworking Space was abuzz with artsy hipster types. They were holding Brooklyn Brewery beers and admiring photographs and paintings of sunflowers. Speaking in Mandarin with a smattering of English, the attendees, mostly young people in their 20s and 30s, were discussing the role…

ART FOR ADVOCACY: Bringing Taiwan's Sunflower Movement to Brooklyn

By Dana Ter On a damp New York evening on May 22, just a stone throw away from Bushwick Collective on Troutman Street – a street filled with graffiti murals turned into an art gallery of sorts, the open-air Bat Haus Coworking Space was abuzz with artsy hipster types. They were holding Brooklyn Brewery beers and admiring photographs and paintings of sunflowers. Speaking in Mandarin with a smattering of English, the attendees, mostly young people in their 20s and 30s, were discussing the role of…

How I Became More Involved With the Taiwanese American Community

by Nikki DePaola When I first moved to Los Angeles three years ago, I didn’t know very many people outside of my job and a few cousins. Growing up in Kansas, I was excited to be in a place known for the best Taiwanese food outside of Taiwan, and with so many options to connect with the Taiwanese American community. There are plenty of opportunities in LA for a young Taiwanese American woman. Organizations like TAP (Taiwanese American Professionals), TACL (Taiwanese American Citizens’…