台美公民協會通訊1991
President’s Message：
TACL：Past, Now, and Future
Li-Pei Wu
Past year: a solid foundation building year
As a new organization, the National TACL has spent a great deal of time and effort to build a strong base of active membership, able leadership, and ample financial resources. The past year has been a year of foundation-building and internal organization, and, at the same time, growth and planning ahead for the Taiwanese American Citizens League. While we continue to become more and more established, now it is time to look ahead to future projects and goals.
Chapters: TACL’s member strength
Thanks to nationwide interest, support, and participation, the future looks bright for TACL. As our numbers grow, so does our strength. Two years after the formation of a national TACL, the membership of our Los Angeles, Houston, San Diego, New York, Northern California, St. Louis, Kansas, and Seattle chapters continues to expand, and new chapters have been establishes in Atlanta, Georgia and in the Orange County and South Bay areas of greater Los Angeles. Still more chapters are under development in Hawaii, Chicago, and New Jersey.
Census and reapportionment: TACL’s value
Our successful 1990 census project demonstrated the value of an organization like TACL, dedicated to serving the needs of Taiwanese immigrants and their families and to building a successful future for Taiwanese-American participation, recognition, and influence in mainstream American society and politics. As a follow-up, TACL chapters have been working together with other Asian American and minority groups, on efforts to achieve fair reapportionment so that our needs may be better served by elected officials. The reports from several local chapters in this Bulletin demonstrate the diversity of interesting and exciting activities conducted by TACL nationwide.
Public relation: TACL’s political strength
Along with our activities within the Taiwanese-American community, public relations is also important for TACL. Cooperating and working with other organizations toward common needs and goals has always been a high priority for TACL. After all, political strength often lies in numbers. One of our current projects is an effort to contact other Asian-American and minority groups and to express our willingness to join with them in activities of mutual interest, and to be recognized and respected on an equal basis, as a Taiwanese-American organization.
Treasury: TACL’s financial strength
Of course, an organization of TACL’s scope and scale needs a substantial treasury in order to operate. Much of TACL’s budget consists of membership dues and generous private contributions, but in the long run, these will be depleted unless fund raising is performed continuously. Along with fund raising within the Taiwanese-American community, TACL is making an effort to apply for and receive grants from various levels of government and from private foundations. This project is one of the responsibilities of TACUs newly-selected administrative consultant, Mr. Lynn Miles.
Youth: TACL’s future
We cannot look to the future of TACL without recognizing the necessity of participation and leadership by TACL’s younger members. In addition to projects conducted by the Committee for Future Leadership, TACL promotes and encourages involvement of youth and young adults by awarding over $10,000 in scholarships to high school, college, and graduate and professional students, sponsoring a summer internship at the national headquarters, and supporting local chapters such as Atlanta and Northern California, which are primarily or entirely directed by second-generation Taiwanese Americans. Furthermore, TACL’s national Board of Directors currently includes two members in their early twenties, and enthusiastically welcomes more young leaders.
Future: Promising coming years
While TACL continues to establish and maintain programs and projects for today, efforts are also being made to build a solid groundwork for tomorrow. With the active participation of our current members, growing membership and expansion of our local chapters, broadened recognition and respect by both minority and mainstream organizations, interest and involvement among the second generation, and a continuing need for TACL’s support and services, the Taiwanese American Citizens League will surely increase in importance and influence well into the coming years.
Posted in 2015/06
