During this meeting for the IACA ICR, we were introduced to the organization by Kwan. To start the evening, we were also provided Chinese food. We had both lo mein and dumplings. This was my first-time having dumplings, which were very good! We then got to learn about Kwan’s life and the actual organization.
IACA stands for Indiana Association of Chinese Americans and it has been in existence for 48 Years (1973). The people who established it were intellectuals who came to America for education. Many families would meet to share stories and stay connected. Later on, the families felt there was a need to form the community organization/nonprofit. This organization is focused on spreading the Chinese American culture. This group is also open to all ethnicities. Recently the IACA has launched “Project Matchstick” which helps undocumented citizens with financial support who cannot obtain government assistance.
This experience has better helped me to understand how to get involved in the community. We were able to gain a baseline understanding of the organization and the leadership structure. It was comforting that this experience is an informal environment and questions are encouraged to drive conversation.