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Formed in December 2004, the Asian
Coalition of Tallahassee (ACT) was initiated by the Big Bend Filipino-American
Association, Inc (BBFAA) under the leadership of Dr Clyde Diao.
It is the umbrella organization of various member organizations
as well as individual members and is intended to be the voice of
the Asian community. It aims to unite the various Asian communities
within the Tallahassee area and promote and share our rich Asian
cultural heritage with the local community through community activity
involvement and cultural events. To achieve this, ACT launched "Experience
Asia" which has experienced meteoric rise to become a major
annual event in Tallahassee. Further, the ACT also aims to enhance
social and economic ties with the community at large. Through these,
the ACT hopes to raise awareness within the community of the various
Asian cultures as well as foster better understanding between the
Asian community and the locals.
Originally, the ACT was formed by
the Big Bend Filipino American Association, India Association of
Tallahassee, North Florida Chinese Association, the Tallahassee
Families with Asian Children, and the Chinese Association of Tallahassee.
This has grown with the inclusion of FSU International Center, Japanese
Community Group, Chinese Children Adoption International, Taiwanese
American Association of Tallahassee, Thai Community of Tallahassee,
Persian Cultural Club, Korean community, Rossier Productions, Inc.
Pakistani community, World Economic Forum and many other Student
associations. Several individual members also comprise the membership
of ACT. It hopes to expand as more members join the organization.
The ACT welcomes everyone who is
interested in Asian affairs to join, regardless of age, sex, race,
or ethnicity. Bringing in non-Asian members into the ACT is essential
as it helps foster better understanding with the local community.
It also helps the Asian community become part of mainstream America
without losing its identity. Truly, the ACT provides a venue by
which the East meets the West. |