Asian Community Growing

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

If you see a colorful dragon snaking through the downtown Chain of Parks trailed by an equally eye-catching parade of people, don’t be alarmed.

You might just want to find a parking space and join the throng for the opening ceremony of Experience Asia 2007, the third annual celebration of Tallahassee’s fast-growing and multi-faceted Asian community. It’s hosted by the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee, which was formed in 2005, the same year the festival made its debut.

“The reason we organized the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee was to raise awareness in the community about the various Asian segments of the (local) population,” said ACT chairman Clyde Diao, who also serves as president of the Big Bend Filipino-American Association.

Coalition members wanted to give something back to the community that had welcomed them so warmly as residents.

Tallahassee’s friendly folks and pretty neighborhoods have made it mighty attractive to Asians, many of which come to attend FAMU or FSU and end up staying to work and live. Diao came to the city in 1983 to earn a master’s degree and subsequent Ph.D. in economics from FSU. He stuck around to put down roots, start a family and even entice sisters who lived in other states to move to Tallahassee.

“When I first came here, there were very few Asian people and very few Asian restaurants,” Diao said. “But now the Asian community is growing.”

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