Our ancestors left Asia for a better future
Chang Family
circa 1960s, Taichung, Taiwan
Rain Jade Society is Asian-American centric, but dedicated to elevating and spotlighting the diverse and complex experiences of the Asian Diaspora with the hope of bettering our collective futures.
In 2010, when I was turning 30, I decided to take my Chinese name, 雨 玉, Rain Jade, given by my great grandfather Lin and turn it into my business name. I am a 12th generation Chang 張, and the 1st of my family to be born outside of Taichung, Taiwan. As a 1st generation Taiwanese-American, I struggled with understanding my identity and I am grateful for this moment in time when the internet is brimming with information and opportunities to curate and create content to support the developing needs of the Asian Diaspora and it’s intersections. Especially for the next generation of kids growing up and needing to connect with their rich cultural background, but might not have any support to do so.
The Asian Diaspora refers to Asians that have settled in new lands outside of Asia. While there have been various waves of migrations, the power grabbing events of the 20th century have sparked massive migrations due to global war and poverty. Asians in the diaspora have faced a barrage of challenges based on ignorance, fear and violence. Culturally we are taught to work patiently, keeping our heads down and focused on investing in ourselves through education, hard work, mutual aid and entrepreneurship.
Thanks to the efforts of young Asian-American Boomers attending school at UC Berkeley in 1969, who fought for ethnic studies, we have foundational knowledge of how to address racism and the legacy of American Imperialism. Outside of academia, Asian-American’s have collectively worked hard in various professional fields to make a positive impact for all Americans; from blue collar service industries, agricultural laborers, business owners, artists, writers, science & technology and healthcare workers. We are an economic force that can no longer be ignored. We have collectively struggled to establish new roots, assimilate to the foreign cultures and customs of our chosen communities.
Due to the overt racism by the 45th U.S. president during his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has shed light on our collective fears that we are perpetual foreigners in communities we have called home all of our lives. The normalization of hate crimes against Asian-Americans especially attacking our elders is a reality that we must take on as the Asian Diaspora and our intersections. This is a battle to fight ignorance and make accessible to all, the work of our elders, who for the past 51 years has advocated for self determination in understanding the Asian-American and Asian Diaspora experience. We must know our history in order to push back on the racist narratives that cast Asian-Americans as perpetual foreigners rather than the truth: we are Americans that have contributed to the wealth of our nation.
The Asian Diaspora is reclaiming our narrative - from how we see our history, culture, investments and purchasing power in a globalized world. It is our time to reflect on our past, our cultural roots and celebrate our collective impact that have added to the financial and cultural wealth in our chosen communities. It’s time for the colonized world to know that we aren’t white supremacy’s model minorities.
Take part in MADE - Modern Asian Diaspora Experiences!
MADE’s mission is to center on the Asian-American experience and to contribute to the long history of Asian Diaspora excellence and build pride of our collective contributions. MADE will be curating culturally relevant content for you to watch, read, listen and share.
MADE is a program tailored for 1st and 2nd generation Asian - Americans to understand this moment in history and how to draw from the collective power and resources of the Asian Diaspora and it’s intersections. MADE is designed to empower, uplift and give inspiration as we come out of the global pandemic and emerge into a world where COVID-19 still lingers.
Interested? Sign-up for updates of when MADE programs will begin.