Taiwanese Association of America, Houston Chapter

A chapter of the Taiwanese Association of American (TAA), The Houston chapter (TAA Houston) is comprised of 700 member families with more than 2,200 individual members. TAA strives to promote cultural awareness for Taiwanese Americans in Houston, Texas. TAA welcomes those who identify themselves as Taiwanese. TAA Houston is located at 5885 POINT WEST, SUITE 101 HOUSTON, TX 77036.

History of Taiwanese American in Houston

The earliest Taiwanese resident in Houston can be found in 1954. Many of them were graduate students at University of Houston and Rice University. It was not until 1968 did a number of families take resident in Houston. In 1970, Houston Formosan Club was chartered with 29 members. At the same time, similar clubs were started at major cities in the U.S. In 1975, Formosan Club of Houston officially became the Houston chapter of the Taiwanese Association of America.

In the early years, Taiwanese associations in America were formed to raise the awareness of the political struggle of native Taiwanese by an oppressive Nationalist Kuomintang Regime in Taiwan, Republic of China. Membership often resulted in blacklisting by the government of Taiwan. Blacklisted individuals were barred from returning to Taiwan or faced persecution when they do return. Since the democratization of Taiwan in the 1980’s these associations gradually shed their political image and diverted their resources to the promotion of Taiwan and Taiwanese American culture.

Facility

In 1991, The Taiwanese Heritage Society of Houston purchased the Taiwanese Community Center in southwest Houston, the heart of Houston's bustling Chinatown. The center is the home to the TAA-Houston Chapter. It also hosts Taiwanese Cultural Exhibit Windows, Taiwanese Cultural Library, and a Credit Union. The center hosts regular cultural programs such as the Taiwanese Heritage Week, Asian Heritage Month, Culture Seminar, Asian American Festival, and food bazaars. The center also hosts weekend classes for children to learn Taiwanese language and for seniors to learn English.

Community Service and Annual Events

TAA Houston sponsors several annual events that include the annual festival, 228 Memorial, Summer Camp for kids, Full Moon Festival, Christmas Gala, Karaoke Competition, and various sporting events. The TAA publishes annual member directory to its members. Every month, a communication is also sent out to include information on coming events, news, health and financial information for its members. The organization also offers scholarships for students and sponsors charity drives to benefit various local seniors and disaster relief efforts.

Affiliations

Numerous other cultural based Taiwanese association work closely with TAA of Houston 1 to promote Taiwanese heritage in Houston. These affiliates include the Taiwanese Seniors Association, Taiwanese American Youth Association 2, Taiwanese Heritage Society of Houston 3, and the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Houston. The headquarter of the Taiwanese Association of America 4.