An outstanding way to achieve this, is by requesting elected officials all around the U.S. to issue proclamations dedicating the week after Mother’s Day as TAHW. As you can witness from the list, this year several chapters did a great job in this regard, esp. FAPA’s OR and WA state chapters.

List of TAHW proclamations we received 2016 :

Proclamations:
Board of Selectmen of Brookline, Town of Brookline, MA

Setti Warren, Mayor of Newton, MA

Gary Christenson, Mayor of Malden, MA

Lauren Poe, Mayor of Gainesville, FL

Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon

Denny Doyle, Mayor of Beaverton, OR

Charlie Hales, Mayor of Portland, OR

Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, TX

Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington

Timothy D. Leavitt, Mayor of Vancouver, WA

Scott Higgins, Mayor of Camas, WA

Congressional Record/Letter/Twitter:
John Katko, House of Representatives, New York

Ron Wyden, Oregon Senator

Patty Murray, Washington Senator

Maria Cantwell, Washington Senator

Jalme Herrera Beutler, House of Representatives, WA

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Every year, the month of May is designated as Asian Pacific Heritage Month — a month of national celebration and commemoration of the innumerable contributions that Asians and Pacific Islanders have made in American life.

Since 1999, when President Clinton dedicated the week after Mother’s Day as Taiwanese American Heritage week (TAHW), Taiwanese Americans have annually joined hands to reach out to the general American public to share their heritage.

This year, from Mother’s Day May 10 until Sunday May 17, 2015 Taiwanese Americans all over the Union are celebrating  TAHW.

The celebration did not go unnoticed by elected officials from Oregon to Florida and in between where elected officials dedicated the week after Mother’s Day as TAHW.

Among these, Oregon Governor Kate Brown proclaimed (view the document) the week after Mother’s Day as TAHW stating: “WHEREAS Taiwanese Americans have made enormous contributions to the diversity and prosperity of American society, consistently contributing to the promotion of democracy and security of their homeland.” Portland Proclamation 2015 TAHW; Beaverton Proclamation 2015 TAHW

Gainesville, FL mayor Edward B. Braddy took similar action stating: “WHEREAS Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country but continues to be illegitimately claimed by the People’s Republic of China as a renegade province.” view the document

In his TAHW proclamation, San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer added: “WHEREAS 2015 marks the 36th anniversary of the enactment into law of the “Taiwan Relations Act,” the cornerstone of U.S. Taiwan relations.” San Diego Proclamation 2015 TAHW

FAPA President Mark Kao states:  “Taiwanese Americans are proud to be citizens of this country which believes in democracy and equality.  Taiwanese Americans having and celebrating their own Heritage Week reinforces the understanding amongst the American public that Taiwan is not part of China, and that we need to recognize the reality that Taiwan is a free and democratic nation-state that needs to be accepted by the international community as a full and equal member.”

Photo Credit: Chen Liang Dao 陳良道 (Flickr)

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House International Relations Committee Chair Accuses WHO Of “Narrow Political Motives”

In a letter to the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) congratulating Taiwanese Americans with their annual celebration of the Taiwanese American Heritage week, House International Relations Committee chairman Henry Hyde accuses the World Health Organization (WHO) of locking Taiwan out of the organization “due to narrow political motives.”

The chairman writes: “Taiwan, although, in close proximity to the epicenter of the SARS outbreak in southern China, remains locked out of WHO participation due to narrow political motives. This shortsighted attitude imperils not only the health of Taiwan’s 23 million people, but also denies full regional coordination on a continuing basis in fighting an epidemic which could potentially threaten us all. […] The still unfolding SARS crisis only underscores the need for WHO observer status for Taiwan.”

FAPA President Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D., states: “It is a sad irony that people in Taiwan have to die before the world will listen. I refuse to accept the notion that the international community will let politics prevail over human suffering. Taiwan needs to be included in the WHO summit in Geneva next week.”

國關委員會主席海德致函FAPA，祝賀台美傳統週並表達支持台灣參與世衛組織

眾議院國際關係委員主席海徳於7日致函台灣人公共事務會，祝賀即將在全美各地展開的台美傳統週慶祝儀式。海德主席並藉由此封信函表達他個人及代表美國國會對於台灣人民因SARS傷亡的關切之意，海德主席在信中表示「狹隘的政治動機，導致台灣被拒絕在WHO大門之外」。

海德主席在信中表示，「我誠摯地希望美國政府能在即將於日內瓦召開的世衛大會上，扮演領導者的角色，為了這個目的（協助台灣參與世衛）遊說他國。」他並強調：「當我們考量到台灣人民與台美人在醫學及其他領域上付出極大的貢獻時，只有當台灣的地位與其對全球的貢獻得到國際社會完全的尊重與感激時，才會是令人滿意的結果。」

台灣人公共事務會會長吳明基表示：「非常感謝海德主席將近日來台美人最關心的SARS疫情，包含在他的台美傳統週賀詞裡，在在顯示出海德主席對台灣人民的關切與支持。」吳明基繼續表示：「海德主席信中暗指希望美國政府能在今年世衛大會上有所動作，扮演著領導者的角色，正點出了台灣政府與所有台美人的心聲。如同上週陳水扁總統在華盛頓郵報的社論一樣，如果要談論台灣加入世衛組織的最佳時間，那就是非現在不可！」

Photo Credit: Michael Del Priore (Wikimedia Commons)

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Taiwanese American Heritage Week 2002

Week-long celebrations of the fourth annual Taiwanese American Heritage Week (TAHW) will take place across the United States during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month starting from the Mother’s Day weekend.

On May 1st this year, President Bush stated in his proclamation of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, Our Nation’s rich cultural diversity reflects our Constitution’s core vision of freedom and justice for all. Throughout our history, Asian/Pacific Americans have made great contributions to American’s heritage and prosperity. “Through the years, Asian immigrants and Pacific Islanders have enriched the American way of life.” Furthermore, President Bush proclaimed, “I call upon our citizens to learn more about the history of Asian/Pacific American and how they have contributed so much to our national heritage and culture.”

This special week honors the outstanding contributions of over 500,000 Taiwanese Americans to our nation’s social, economic and political life, as well as provides an opportunity for all to learn more about Taiwanese heritage and ancestry. The celebration is also a vehicle to promote the image and welfare of Taiwanese Americans and to enhance mutual understanding and stronger unity among different generation of Taiwanese Americans.

Year 2002 is special as Americans from all backgrounds express appreciation for the support of their fellow citizens in the Taiwanese American community in the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy. Taiwanese Americans responded overwhelmingly to the relief effort, another example of the community’s steadfast commitment to democracy and human rights. As Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, noted in his May 7^th letter to TAHW celebration participants, “This is yet another example of the Taiwanese community’s support for the preservation of the institutions of this democracy, as well as its values, and for the maintenance of the rule of law under the threat of international terrorism.”

Finally, 2002 is a significant year as Rep. David Wu (D-OR), the first Taiwanese American elected to the Congress, introduced H. Res. 411, “Supporting the goals of Taiwanese American Heritage Week,” which recognizes the ‘profound importance of Taiwanese Americans to the United States’ and declares that “the warm relations and bilateral exchange between the people of the United States and Taiwan should grow” on May 2^nd.

“We are proud at FAPA to have initiated the annual TAHW, and we are thrilled to see the celebration grow tremendously at the national and local level every year,” stated FAPA President, Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D.

美國布希總統正式宣佈亞裔傳統月，台美人傳統週在全美各地熱烈慶祝 

日前，正當布希總統正式送交台灣人公共事務會(FAPA)一份正式的宣告文件，關於他對亞裔美人傳統月(Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month)的贊揚時，幾乎同時，在全美各地的台灣同鄉紛紛展開約達一周的台美人傳統週(Taiwanese American Heritage Week, TAHW) 活動。

三年前，由台灣人公共事務會大力推動的台美人傳統週活動，特別選在五月的第三個星期，以母親節為首的一週，來表彰台美人對美國社會的特殊貢獻，和對母國─台灣的思念。白宮在日前正式送交台灣人公共事務會一份宣告書中，布希總統特別指出：我們國家豐富多樣的文化所反映的，正是憲法中的最精髓的部份─民主和正義。細讀美國的歷史中，不難發現，亞裔移民對美國的傳統及繁榮有著極大的貢獻。尤其這幾年來，太平洋島國的移民著實豐富的我們的生活。因此，我要求我們的國民要多從亞裔美人中學習他們的歷史文化和如何貢獻給美國國家。

本週，特別表彰超過五十萬名的台美人對美國在社會、經濟、政治上的傑出貢獻，並藉此機會多瞭解台灣的歷史與先民的種種。台美人傳統週的節慶也提供了最好的管道，讓不同世代的台美人對彼此有更密切的瞭解和團結。

在美國遭遇911恐怖攻擊之後，有多元背景的美國體會和感激台美人的支持，絕大多數台美人社團都義不容辭投入救援的工作。正如眾議院外交委員會主席海德議員在五月七日的信中言道，對台美人傳統週節慶的參與，也就是對台灣社會民主表現的支持，它所呈現的意義與價值，和我們對抗恐怖主義的威脅是一樣的。

身為第一位具有台灣背景的吳振偉眾議員，五月二日在眾議院提出第411號法案強調：美國支持台美人傳統週代表著他正式承認台美人的重要性，台灣和美國雙方應該發展密切的關係和對等的交流。

Photo Credit: White House photo by Eric Draper

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