Bringing together cultures is important to Fanni Xie. She was born in China, attended college in both China and the U.S., and was deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Army. Post-military service, the entrepreneur and social worker found herself pulled toward work in diversity, inclusion and cultural education — areas in which she is able to focus today, she says, in her role as president of the Northeast Wisconsin Chinese Association.
NEWCA was founded as a social club more than four decades ago by a pair of Lawrence University professors from Taiwan, Xie says. The group disbanded during the pandemic, but in 2021 Xie was inspired to bring the organization back as a 501(c)3 with a new scope and primary mission: promoting diversity and cultural understanding.
A lot of NEWCA’s work under Xie’s leadership has come in the form of presentations and performances at schools, libraries and cultural festivals, she says, but its signature event is the Northeast Wisconsin Dragon Boat Festival (NEWDBF), which is scheduled this year for Sept. 14 at Leach Amphitheater in Oshkosh.
Hosting a dragon boat race in Oshkosh is actually a beloved tradition Xie resurrected with the help of her friend Angie Lee, then chair of Oshkosh’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and now NEWDBF event director. Lee says the race was staged by the YMCA and UW-Oshkosh between 2006-2015, and bringing it back under NEWCA as more than just a sporting competition was an exciting opportunity.
“People were really enthusiastic about having the races again in Oshkosh, because it had with it so many great memories,” she says. “So, in that sense, the road was already paved for us.”
Last year’s inaugural festival, Lee says, drew more than 2,000 attendees and featured artists, performers, food booths and cultural exhibits in addition to the boat race. And though the festival is staged by a Chinese association, Lee and Xie say it is important that it reflects Pan-Asian culture, including Hmong, Hawaiian, Indian and other traditions with roots on the world’s largest continent. And as the festival enters its second year, it is growing. The planning committee has expanded from six to 21 members, and planned event additions include nighttime entertainment and an appearance by the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass’ “mini dragon,” Ray.
Unity in community
While dragon boats originated in China 2,000 years ago as part of a mourning ritual, the modern sport of dragon boat racing dates back to 1976 and is popular worldwide — even currently under consideration to become an Olympic sport. In fact, Xie says paraprofessional dragon boat racers who traveled from out of state to compete in last year’s NEWDBF race told her it was one of the best festivals they’d ever attended.
But one doesn’t have to own a dragon boat or even have rowing experience to participate in the race. There are categories for all experience levels, including youth and land-based races, and practice sessions with training are offered in advance. In fact, last year’s winning team, “Unity in Community,” was an assemblage of 24 strangers who were eager to learn the sport and came together through the event.
And that, Lee says, is exactly the point of the festival.
“The physical togetherness of being on the boat and that camaraderie builds a sense of belonging,” she says. “And the intention of this festival is to create groups of connectedness for people and a shared experience to make people feel like they belong.”
Xie says there are two key elements driving the work behind NEWDBF: legacy and empowerment. The opportunity to pass down Asian traditions in Northeast Wisconsin is exciting, and at the same time empowering Asian Americans in the community is more important than ever, given the rise in AAPI hate and anti-Chinese sentiment that accompanied COVID-19.
In Northeast Wisconsin, Xie says she actually sees the lack of racial diversity and unfamiliarity with Asian cultures as opportunities. She likes the idea that she can help shape people’s first impressions and build a thriving, more inclusive community for future generations.
“We come in bringing all the great food, all the fun events, a sporting event and unite the community together to do a big celebration,” she says. “And then the first impression they have of us is fun.”
On the web: newdragonboat.com
