Taiwan Float in NY Pride Parade Celebrates LGBTQ Movement in Taiwan

The New York Taiwanese Community Crowdfunds to Celebrate the Recent Ruling on Same-sex Marriage by Taiwan’s Constitutional Court To celebrate this historic ruling, Mr. Chi Chia-Wei, the gay activist who filed the lawsuit that Taiwan’s Constitutional Court recently ruled on, has been invited to New York to participate in this year’s Gay Pride Parade, which will take place on June 25th. A crowdfunding campaign is now underway to raise funds to cover all fees and expenses for 1) Mr. Chi’s…

Intersection of Poetry and Movements: An Interview with Author Kenji Liu

As we celebrate Taiwanese American Heritage Week and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to feature accomplished individuals of Taiwanese descent who have used their voices and talents to highlight the histories and legacies of our community. Kenji C. Liu is author of Map of an Onion, national winner of the 2015 Hillary Gravendyk Poetry Prize. His poetry is in, among other places, American Poetry Review, Action Yes!, Split This Rock’s poem of the week series,…

FAPA West Coast Leadership Retreat in NorCal

Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) is planning their first ever West Coast Leadership Retreat! This program is designed to accomplish two goals: 1. Train future leaders in Taiwanese activism through skill-based workshops and discussions 2. Create a platform for Taiwanese activists/advocates to network, exchange ideas and coordinate on major issues We're expecting more than 10 participants from cities such as San Diego, LA, Portland and Santa Barbara. Sample Workshops: Leadership…

Taiwanese Americans in Solidarity

Although systemic racism is the oldest motif in American history, recent events – including the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson and the protests in Baltimore – have prompted us to thoroughly confront what it means to be a person of color in the United States. As Taiwanese Americans, our phenotype generally assigns us to a vague “Asian” aesthetic. This “Asian” aesthetic then ascribes us to certain privileges and disadvantages. Historically, the Asian American community has…

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…

September 13th | Keep Taiwan Free Movement in NYC!

[caption id="attachment_11876" align="alignnone" width="610"] Photo Credit: MengLing Hsieh[/caption] Despite being one of the world's youngest successful democracies, Taiwan continues to be excluded from the United Nations. Among many consequences, that means Taiwan is unable to fully participate in and contribute its resources to global institutions such as the World Health Organization and forced to enter international competitions under the name of “Chinese Taipei." Keep Taiwan Free and…