Janai Moton | The Famuan
Founded in 2004, the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee celebrated in the capital to unite Asian communities in the Big Bend and promote Asian culture.
“Experience Asia” was the third largest event held in downtown this past weekend. The experience featured Asian performances, demonstrations, cuisine, arts & crafts, artists and more.
In attendance of the event was Aurora Hansen, chair member of The Asian Coalition of Tallahassee.
“Every year we have the privilege to host such an amazing event in Tallahassee,” Hansen explained. “We love to see the community come together.”
The Asian Coalition of Tallahassee was initiated by the Big Bend Filipino-American Association, Inc (BBFAA) under the leadership of Clyde Diao, Ph.D..
Don Pretucolli, a Tallahassee native said, “My family and I really enjoyed experiencing Asia. The people were so friendly, and welcoming and it was amazing experiencing Asia. We definitely will be back next year.”
The organization is an umbrella comprised of various Asian related organizations, as well as, individual members as it is said to be the voice for the Asian community.
The primary focus of ACT is to unite various Asian communities within the Tallahassee area, and promote and share the rich Asian cultural heritage with the local community through activities, and cultural events.
The festival had two stages simultaneously running with performances throughout the day. The estimate for attendance was expected to be between 18,000-25,000 people.
Experience Asia is a family friendly event with something for everyone from kids to adults.
Attendees were able to try on Yukata’s and eat plenty of Asian cuisine. To have achieved such a successful event, ACT launched "Experience Asia", which has accumulated a meteoric rise to become a major annual event in Tallahassee.
According to ACT website, The Coalition aims to enhance social and economic ties with the community at large. ACT hopes to raise Asian awareness within the community to foster a better understanding between Asians and other cultures.
In the beginning of forming such a profound business, 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.
ACT eventually grew large enough to include the FSU International Centre, Japanese Community Group, Chinese Children Adoption International, Taiwanese American Association of Tallahassee, Thai Community of Tallahassee, and many more associations.
Also in attendance to the event was an FSU religion major, Veronica Hua.
“This was my first time coming out to such an amazing event and I’m glad I did,” Hua said.
ACT would love to welcome people all over Tallahassee, from different walks of life, who are interested in Asian culture to join, regardless of age, sex, race or ethnicity.
Bringing in non-Asian members into ACT is essential as it helps foster better understanding between individuals within the local community. It also helps the Asian community become part of mainstream America without losing its identity.
Truly, ACT has provided a venue by which the entire city of Tallahassee can enjoy.