| Agency Name: | White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders |
| Formed: | June 7, 1999 |
| Chief1 Name: | Krystal Ka’ai |
| Chief1 Position: | Executive Director |
| Parent Agency: | US Department of Health and Human Services |
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) is a United States governmental office that coordinates an ambitious whole-of-government approach to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPIs). The Initiative collaborates with the Deputy Assistant to the President and AA and NHPI Senior Liaison, White House Office of Public Engagement and designated federal departments and agencies to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPIs in the areas of economic development, education, health and human services, housing, environment, arts, agriculture, labor and employment, transportation, justice, veterans affairs, and community development.
The Initiative seeks to highlight the tremendous unmet needs in AA and NHPI communities and the dynamic community assets that can be leveraged to meet many of those needs. The Initiative focuses on cross-cutting priority areas that span all issue areas and agencies, including advancing disaggregated AA and NHPI data collection and dissemination, workforce diversity, ensuring access (especially linguistic access and cultural competence) for limited English proficient individuals, and building capacity for the AA and NHPI community. The Initiative also works to encourage AA and NHPI involvement in public service and civic engagement opportunities.
The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) community is the fastest-growing racial group in the country.[1] The AAPI community grew 46 percent from 2000 to 2010 and will more than double to over 47 million by 2060.[2] There are approximately 22 million AAPIs and Native Hawaiians residing in the United States (approximately 6% of the U.S. population), representing over 40 countries and ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages and dialects.[3] [4] In 2018, AAPIs wielded $1 trillion in purchasing power, fueled by an economic boom for the fast-growing segment of the US population.[5]
When President Biden signed Executive Order 14031 on May 28, 2021, the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders were established at the Department of Health and Human Services. Each entity of the Initiative works to "advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities in the United States."[6]
On May 28, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14031[7] reestablishing the Initiative at the Department of Health and Human Services and renaming it the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI). On December 9, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai would become a Co-Chair of the Initiative alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.[8]
On May 28, 2021, Biden appointed Krystal Ka'ai to be Executive Director of the Initiative.[9] Ka'ai previously served as Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and is the first Native Hawaiian to lead the Initiative.[10]
On December 20, 2021, Biden announced his intent to nominate 25 individuals to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders including Amy Agbayani, Teresita Batayola, Ajay Bhutoria, Luisa Blue, Kimberly Chang, Emily Chen, Kerry Doi, Grace Huang, Victoria Huynh, Mia Ives-Rublee, Kamal Kalsi, Michelle Kauhane, Daniel Dae Kim, Kevin Kim, Sarah Min, Simon Pang, Ai-jen Poo, Naheed Qureshi, Raynald Samoa, Sonal Shah, Smita Shah, Robert Underwood, and KaYing Yang.[11]
According to Executive Order 14031, the Initiative is tasked with advancing "equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities by coordinating Federal interagency policymaking and program development efforts to eliminate barriers to equity, justice, and opportunity faced by AA and NHPI communities, including by advancing policies, programs, and initiatives." This includes:
Under Biden, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) has participated in various efforts across government agencies and nonprofits to promote equity and alleviate issues stemming from COVID-19. Through the use of public outreach and funding, these efforts have been robust in tackling a variety of issues faced by the AANHPI community. These are a few examples of those efforts: [7]
Through the Indigenous Communities program, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Agency (EDA) is allocating $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding specifically for Indigenous communities, including Pacific Islanders, which were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic
On May 20, 2021, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which allowed the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19 and establish an online database. The Act makes hate-crime reporting more accessible at the state and local levels by increasing language accessibility to reporting resources and authorizes grants to state and local governments for crime-reduction programs to prevent and respond to hate crimes. The Act was signed into law in the context of a 189% surge in anti-Asian hate crimes from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
The President's 25-member Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders is co-chaired by the Health and Human Services Secretary and a second head of an executive department or agency designated by the President. As of 2022, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai co-chair the Advisory Commission.
The 25 member commission consists of leaders appointed by the President who reflect the rich diversity of AA and NHPI communities throughout the United States. The members work across a variety of sectors reflecting the need for increased equity for the AA and NHPI community in the United States. The members of the commission are: Xavier Becerra, Katherine Tai, Sonal Shah, Amy Agbayani, Teresita Batayola, Ajay Bhutoria, Luisa Blue, Kimberly Chang, Emily Chen, Kerry Doi, Grace Huang, Victoria Huynh, Mia Ives-Rublee, Kamal Kalsi, Michelle Ka'uhane, Daniel Dae Kim, Kevin D. Kim, Sarah Kim, Simon Pang, Ai-jen Poo, Naheed Qureshi, Raynald Samoa, Smita N. Shah, Robert A. Underwood, and KaYing Yang.
The Commission provides advice to the President on:
Co-chaired by the Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders contains both an Interagency Working Group and Regional Network.
President Biden's Executive Order (EO) 14031 establishes a federal Interagency Working Group (IWG) as part of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI). The IWG is composed of senior-level Executive Branch officials who have been designated by their respective agencies to coordinate WHIAANHPI's work across the federal government. The IWG works to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities by coordinating federal interagency policymaking, program development, and outreach efforts to address barriers impacting AA and NHPI communities. Examples of these objectives include: identifying federal programs in which AAPIs may be underserved; fostering research and data collection on AAPI populations and subpopulations; increasing public and private sector community involvement in improving the health, environment, and opportunities for AAPIs; and identifying ways to recruit and advance AAPIs in federal service.
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) is charged with coordinating and supporting an existing Regional Network (RN) of federal officials who facilitate improved communication, engagement, and coordination between the federal government and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities throughout the United States.[13]
The Regional Network (RN) institutionalizes the work of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on a more local level across 10 federal regions. The RN facilitates the exchange of information across regional offices, coordinates community engagement efforts with other federal agencies, and collaborates with Initiative staff and IWG members in D.C. to potentially incorporate specific community recommendations into agency plans. Through regional roundtables, technical assistance programs, regular planning calls, resource-sharing, in-person convenings, and webinars, the RN works on the ground to respond to community needs.The Regional Network includes over 400 federal agency officials based in 10 federal regions. They seek to build relationships between the federal government and AA and NHPI communities by coordinating outreach efforts and connecting community stakeholders with federal resources across regional offices.Each Regional Network branch includes several states and or U.S. territories:[14]
On June 7, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13125 to establish the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders "in order to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased participation in federal programs where they may be underserved (e.g., health, human services, education, housing, labor, transportation, and economic and community development)."[15] The Executive Order called on all federal departments to mobilize their resources to address the unmet needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Prior to the signing of Executive Order 13125, the last United States Presidential Executive Order related to AAPIs was Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Under the Clinton Administration, the Executive Order housed the Initiative under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the Health Resources and Services Administration.
The first Initiative Executive Director Shamina Singh was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.[16] Prior to her work at the Initiative, Singh served as special assistant to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor and worked on specialized health care issues for the Service Employees International Union.
The first President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was chaired by former Congressman Norman Mineta.[17] The 15-member President's Advisory Commission was seated through June 7, 2001.
The Interagency Working Group under the Clinton Administration was chaired by then Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kevin Thurm. The IWG was composed of leaders from 32 federal agencies and departments.[18] As part of the Executive Order, each federal agency and department was required to draft an integrated agency plan including measurable objectives and implementation goals to better serve the AAPI community.
The first commission report highlighted four key themes:[19]
The report left several recommendations, including that federal agencies improve data collection measures, ensure linguistic access in AAPI languages, protect civil rights and equal opportunity for AAPIs, strengthen community capacity, and recognize NHPIs in federal programs and services.[20]
On June 6, 2001, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13216, renewing the Initiative and changing the Order's title from: "Increasing Participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Federal Programs" to "Increasing Opportunity and Improving Quality of Life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders."[21] At this time, Deputy Secretary Claude A. Allen of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was named Chair of the Interagency Working Group.
On May 17, 2004, President Bush signed Executive Order 13339, superseding Executive Order 13125 and moving the Initiative from the Department of Health and Human Services to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
President Bush signed Executive Order 13403 on May 12, 2006, once again reauthorizing the Initiative.
In 2001, John Quoc Duong was named executive director of the initiative. Prior to assuming his appointment, Duong served as vice president of Bridgecreek Group, Inc. and was deputy director of the Office of Community Relations for California Governor Pete Wilson. Under Duong's leadership, there were 4 staff members and 15 members on the commission.[22] [23]
In 2004, Eddy Badrina was appointed as executive director of the Initiative.[24] Prior to joining the initiative, Badrina was an appointee to the White House Liaison Office at the U.S. Department of State, working on the Bush Administration's transition efforts.
In 2006, Jimmy D. Lee began his term as executive director for the initiative.[25] Before joining the initiative as executive director, Lee was a commissioner on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and served as executive director of the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and a former special assistant to the governor in the State of Illinois. He left the position to run for Congress in the State of Illinois.[26]
The executive order included new criteria for selecting Commissioners to serve on the President's Advisory Commission for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including requirements that candidates "have a history of involvement with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; are from the business enterprise sector; are from civic associations representing one or more of the diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; are from the fields of economic, social, and community development; or have such other experience as the President deems appropriate."[27]
Under the Bush Administration economic development became the priority of the Initiative. Executive Order 13339 stated its purpose as "providing equal economic opportunities for full participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses in our free market economy where they may be underserved and thus improving the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders."[28]
The President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islander and the Federal Interagency Working Group worked primarily on the following goals during this time:[29]
On October 14, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13515, reestablishing the Initiative and superseding Executive Orders 13125 and 13339. The Executive Order moved the Initiative from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Education. President Obama appointed then Secretary of Education Arne Duncan along with then Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke as heads of the Interagency Working Group.
Amendments to the Executive Order include Executive Order 13585, Executive Order 13652, and Executive Order 13652 which all ensure the continuance of the Federal Advisory Committees.[30]
Kiran Ahuja was appointed on December 14, 2009, to the position of Executive Director of the Initiative. Prior to her work at the Initiative, Ahuja served as founding Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) and worked at the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
In 2015, Doua Thor became the Executive Director of the Initiative, following the departure of Ahuja. Prior to taking on the position, Thor had worked with the Initiative as a senior advisor and member of the President's Advisory Commission. A refugee herself, Thor is the former Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC).[31]
The commission included 20 members and was chaired by Dr. Tung Thanh Nguyen with Dr. Mary Ann Young Okada as Vice Chair. Other Commissioners include: Dr. Nina Ahmad; Michael Byun; Lt. Col. Ravi Chaudhary; Lian Cheun; Billy Dec; Jacob James Fitisemanu, Jr.; Bill Imada, Kathy Ko Chin, Daphne Kwok, Dee Jay Mailer, Diane Narasaki, Shekar Narasimhan, Maulik Pancholy, Linda X. Phan, Sanjita Pradhan, Lorna May Ho Randlett, Bo Thao-Urabe, and Dr. Paul Y. Watanabe.
Past Administration co-chairs of the Initiative are Chris Lu, who served with Secretary Arne Duncan during his tenure as Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to President Obama, and Gary Locke during his term as Secretary of Commerce.
Under the Obama Administration, the Initiative has worked to expand the outreach capacity of the Commission and IWG. The IWG created and implemented agency plans to increase the AAPI community's access to federal programs and services, housing four subcommittees that coincide with the initiative's four cross-cutting goal areas of research and data disaggregation, language access, workforce diversity, and capacity building. These subcommittees respond to the community, share best practices, and recommend strategic goals that can be incorporated into agency plans
The Initiative also formed a regional IWG, called the Regional Network, of more than 250 regional administrators, district directors, and regional staff to help facilitate information sharing and coordinate community engagement with the AAPI community across the federal regional agencies. The Regional Network meets quarterly to share information and discuss ways in which regional offices can work together, convenes regional roundtables with local AAPI communities, builds partnerships between the federal regional offices, the commission, and the local and state commissions, and submits an annual progress report on its engagement efforts.
The Initiative has also worked more extensively on data disaggregation, hosting a national symposium in partnership with National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education to relay best practices for data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
In addition, the Initiative has advised federal agencies on disaster response efforts after the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, released an AAPI women's record, developed educational tools and resources on the Affordable Care Act, and helped launch the Senior Executive Service (SES) Development Program.[32] The initiative has also seen the creation of a Nail Salon Interagency Working Group, created a federal resources page with grants and training information, and worked with the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) on challenge issues for the community.
Other key accomplishments and priorities of the Initiative under the Obama Administration include:
On May 13, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13872 once again reestablishing the Initiative.[41] The order effectively reversed the transfer made by President Obama and moved the Initiative from the Department of Education back to the Department of Commerce. President Trump appointed then Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and then Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao serve as the Co-Chairs of the Initiative.[42]
The order also established an Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to help broaden access to more employers and other economic resources for the AAPI community.[43]
On November 13, 2017, Holly Ham was appointed as Executive Director of the Initiative. Prior to this appointment, Ham served as Assistant Secretary for Management at the U.S. Department of Education, also in the Trump Administration.[44] [45]
On December 17, 2019, the Department of Commerce confirmed that Tina Wei Smith, a former Department of Labor appointee, would replace Ham as Executive Director.[46]
On January 27, 2020, Vice President Mike Pence swore in 13 members of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders including Paul S. Hsu, Congresswoman Amata C. Radewagen, Herman Martir, Governor Eddie Calvo, Doris Flores Brooks, Grace Y. Lee, Prem Parameswaran, Michelle P. Steel, Chiling Tong, Jennifer Carnahan, George Leing, Jan-Ie Low, and Keiko Orrall.
The FY 2016-2017 federal Agency Plans incorporating a strategic outline for addressing AAPI needs are publicly available on the Initiative website.
The Initiative also highlights the yearly progress federal departments and agencies have made in attaining agency plan benchmarks and goals. It has also released a report of its own accomplishments over the past four years.
In September 2011, the Initiative produced a Guide to Federal Agency Resources.[47]
In May 2014, the Initiative published the Report from the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders titled "Building the American Mosaic." The report communicates the current role of commissioners and also offers recommendations to federal departments and agencies in building a stronger federal infrastructure for AAPIs.
As of May 2021, the Initiative has compiled several resources for AAPI and NH communities on its website.
References: