For Immediate Release
Washington DC – May 11, 2002
Contact: (202) 547-3686
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 7th 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 2nd.
“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。
