Dear Internet Space:

I have something to say.

It's embodied in a partial list of very Asian-Oriented-Not-Oriental ideas. And it will perhaps be the longest post I've ever shared.

I've been reflecting upon my life recently. I can honestly say that I have come a long way, spending much time and effort in developing my professional path. I'm now at a good breakpoint in my life, with the opportunity to pause and breathe... and thus I find myself thinking about the part of me that enjoys contributing to grassroots movements. In particular, I've been dreaming about how my Taiwanese American community will continue to grow, change, and establish itself within the future framework of Asian America and America itself. I have many ideas of what our community could do, should do, and might do. I also realize that I may not be the person to make it all happen. In fact, I know I won't be.

So, I wanted to post a few of these ideas for internet posterity in the hopes that maybe someone out there may read this, today or in the future, and perhaps be inspired to take a dream and run with it.

Let's start with:

Idea #2
Plant the seeds for an Asian American "MacArthur Foundation" - maybe with my college activist friends - and quietly and anonymously donate "genius grants" to talented APA
artists, musicians, innovators to continue doing their work for the benefit of the APA community. Imagine a struggling artiste, admired for her exceptional creativity and passion, answering her door one day and being handed a monetary donation on behalf of anonymous doners who recognize her past and future contributions.

Idea #3
Host a "2 degrees of Taiwanese America" party, where I ask friends in other parts of the country to invite people they know to a networking party / social hour hosted by me. Most likely the guests would all be people who I didn't know before. We all know there are transplanted Taiwanese Americans tucked away in the cities we live, who are not linked to the community organizations and family connections we all group up with during our younger years. Why not create that network for ourselves and build a new home away from home? Taiwanese food and family would be the theme. Sharing common identity would be our pride.

Idea #5
Envision a realistic plan to organize a national Taiwanese American conference, perhaps for 2nd gen folks, bringing together various facets and interests of our community. We remain too regionalized and too fragmented. And where are the all-encompassing 2nd generation communities beyond the college age group? ITASA was once only an idea, now it is the norm. We have to think bigger and grander, and with foresight into the future.

Idea #9
Help someone come up with a plan to gather and document oral histories of our community, starting with our aging 1st generation parents. Collect stories, pictures, and document timelines of events. One day, perhaps in 20 years, there will be a Taiwanese American historical society or museum somewhere. So our resources, our stories, our unique heritage needs to be preserved and told by us... starting now.

Idea #12
Build a list of Who's Who in Taiwanese America. And let it start with the little person, the one who will be big one day.

Idea #13
Establish a Vertical Chain of business and professional contacts, perhaps in internet directory form, understanding that success of communities in the long-run come from a strong internal network. We support and build upon the businesses and leaders that are in our community. Hopefully, the sense of values and cultural understanding within our Taiwanese American community may prove to be an asset towards a trustworthy and supportive environment.

Idea #14
Open a chain of Asian American arts cafes. It would feature the works of artists, authors, historians & filmmakers, house an essential Asian American "library," serve as a community gathering place for organizations and leaders, share our perhaps unknown gems with the public. And it would also be a place where one can enjoy a quality tea or Asian-themed beverage.

Idea #16
Organize a think-tank of energetic and influential Taiwanese American leaders and activists. I know I'm not the only one with ideas, so why not bring together minds that can creatively and collectively envision a brighter future for all of us? They can put together Ideas #18 and onward.

There. That's all. Just a little bit to consider for now...

Sincerely,
Ho Chie Tsai