Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Blog

  • White House Hosts AAPI Business Leaders Forum

    Posted by Ari Matusiak & Gautam Raghavan on July 27, 2012 at 12:20 PM EDT

    On Wednesday, July 25, the White House Business Council and White House Office of Public Engagement hosted an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Business Leaders Forum at the White House.  This event was organized as part of the White House’s ongoing effort to engage business leaders and job creators, solicit feedback on the Administration’s efforts to support and assist the business sector, and identify opportunities for partnership to drive economic growth.

    AAPI Business leaders, representing major corporations and small businesses from a range of industries and sectors, participated in the event, which was organized with the support of the International Leadership Foundation, the Coalition of Asian American Business Organizations, the Asian Business Association, the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, and the Minority Business Development Agency at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

    previous photo
    play
    next photo

    Includes Photo Gallery
    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights, Economy

  • The Significance of Data Disaggregation to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community

    Posted by Sefa Aina on July 27, 2012 at 9:48 AM EDT

    Working with diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) college students for years has been both rewarding and a struggle.  The diversity that exists under this umbrella makes it difficult to balance their many voices and experiences, but, at the same time, it has provided a richness of cross-cultural and inter-cultural sharing and solidarity.  Added to this diversity of culture and ethnicity is the diversity of other identity markers including sexual orientation, immigration status, and generation (first generation, second generation, etc…).

    According to the most recent Census data, some AAPIs have staggering educational needs that may be overlooked or masked by aggregated data. For example, 29 percent of Vietnamese-Americans, 38 percent of Hmong-Americans, 33 percent of Laotian-Americans, and 37 percent of Cambodian-Americans do not complete high school. Only 13 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 25 years of age and older have a bachelor’s degree.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights

  • Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh Shares Hepatitis B Awareness Tools for AAPI Communities

    Posted by Kate Moraras and Corinna Dan on July 16, 2012 at 4:41 PM EDT

    As we approach World Hepatitis Day on July 28th, we are reminded of the staggering impact of Hepatitis B in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. AAPIs make up approximately 5% of the US population, but comprise over 50% of Americans with chronic Hepatitis B.  This means approximately 1 in 12 AAPIs are living with chronic Hepatitis B.

    Last month, Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, MD, MPH shared a “Dear Colleague” letter with the AAPI community highlighting many valuable new information resources and tools about viral Hepatitis tailored specifically for AAPI populations. Since working to reduce the disproportionate impact of Hepatitis B in AAPI communities is an important priority of the White House Initiative on AAPIs and the Department of Health and Human Services, we wanted to share Dr. Koh’s letter with you and invite you to consider making use of some of these valuable resources yourself and in your work in your community.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights

  • Seattle: Compassionate AAPI Leadership, Activism, and Community Collaboration

    Posted by Kiran Ahuja on July 12, 2012 at 6:34 PM EDT

    Compassionate AAPI Leadership

    WHIAAPI Executive Director Kiran Ahuja tours the Gee How Oak Tin Association Room at Seattle's Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Taylor, The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience)

    As Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), I get the wonderful opportunity to meet inspiring AAPI leaders across the country who are dedicated to serving their communities.  During my recent trip to Seattle, I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with some of these leaders, including Hyeok Kim, the Executive Director of InterIm CDA, an affordable housing and community building organization based in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District (C/ID).   Hyeok is also a member of the President’s AAPI Advisory Commission.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights

  • White House Hosts AAPI Youth Briefing

    Posted by Gautam Raghavan on July 9, 2012 at 2:28 PM EDT

    On July 6, the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) welcomed more than 150 AAPI young leaders from the East Coast Asian American Student Union for a briefing.

    previous photo
    play
    next photo

    Chris Lu, White House Cabinet Secretary and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on AAPIs, delivered remarks in which he encouraged AAPI youth to get engaged and take action within their campuses and communities.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights

  • Immigration is an AAPI Issue

    Posted by May Y. Chen on June 26, 2012 at 3:26 PM EDT

    Just over a week ago, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced a deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities and that meet several key criteria, a step that will help certain young people—sometimes called “DREAMers”—be considered for relief from the threat of deportation. This renews my hope for public policies that recognize the contributions of immigrants and my hope for the possibility of comprehensive immigration reforms.

    As a Chinese-American, born in the United States to immigrant parents, I have experienced the deeply felt concerns of my family and community for fairer immigration policies. I became a lifelong advocate for immigrants’ rights through my work with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). Through the stories and cases of thousands of Chinese immigrant workers, I learned about their desires to become American citizens, to keep families together, to enjoy fair working conditions, and to provide a brighter future for their children.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Civil Rights, Immigration