On March 15, 2011, AAPI leaders from the White House Initiative on AAPIs met with senior officials from 23 federal agencies to present, discuss, and receive feedback on a report addressing problems uniquely facing the AAPI community—issues like linguistic isolation, health problems, bullying, and other civil rights issues. The report on how federal agencies could better help AAPIs was authored by the President’s Advisory Commission to advise the Federal Interagency Working Group, headed by Secretary of Commerce (and newly appointed Ambassador to China) Gary Locke and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. All 23 agencies came prepared with responses on how they planned to implement the report’s recommendations. The surprise meeting attendee was President Barack Obama, who thanked the Commission and the Working Group for their work and encouraged and challenged everyone involved to implement the recommendations quickly.
The next day initiative commissioners met with the members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) to discuss their priorities and how they could best complement each other to collaborate effectively for the community. Congresswoman Judy Chu, newly elected CAPAC Chair, expressed appreciation for the Advisory Council’s strong stand on Representative Peter King’s recent hearings in the Homeland Security Committee on Radicalization and the Muslim community. Chu noted that 60 percent of all Muslims were of Asian ethnic origin, and this hearing reinforced negative and potentially dangerous prejudices about the American Muslim Community. CAPAC submitted public comments on all 23 agency proposals and plan to host an AAPI summit in D.C. on May 24.
Make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming events being hosted by the President’s Advisory Commission. On April 2, UCLA will co-host a native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander event focusing on health and obesity, especially among youth in Los Angeles. The event will feature Commissioner Hines Ward and NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Troy Polamalu. On April 23, the Initiative will be in Minneapolis to discuss the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. On July 8, there will be a Green Growth Summit in Seattle to help empower the AAPI community to fully take advantage of the emerging green economy, as entrepreneurs, consumers, and environmentally concerned citizens. The Commission is also planning an upcoming event concerning bullying and LGBT AAPI youth in the near future.
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was re-established by President Barack Obama on October 14, 2009. The Initiative and Advisory Commission aims to address issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
For more information on the White House Initiative on AAPIs and the Advisory Commission, please visit here.