WASHINGTON: Building on themes outlined in President Obama’s State of the Union address to Congress last month, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Executive Director Kiran Ahuja has announced new plans to expand opportunities at the national level and increase community engagement at the local level.
Joining Kiran Ahuja were Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Director Konrad Ng, and White House Office of Public Engagement Advisor Gautam Raghavan, regional federal officials and community leaders across the country on the Google + Hangout. They discussed the Initiative’s ongoing work to improve the quality of life of AAPIs and expanding access to federal resources and opportunities. The meet outlined key elements of a regional strategy designed to build upon the Initiative’s success over the past four years in improving access to services and protections for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country.
Ahuja said the Initiative is providing the building blocks toward accessible education, affordable health care, and secure retirements for all. And that they are building on what they’ve learned and done nationally and offering new ideas to meet the demands of the nation’s fastest growing demographic.
“A better America is possible, one with policies that strengthen us and a government that serves all of us, including the AAPI community” said Ahuja.
“We’re reinforcing relationships, forging coalitions, bolstering institutions and the capacity of community based organizations in order to ensure the federal government better serves us all.”
Ahuja said regional interagency working groups of officials representing more than 20 federal agencies and sub-agencies have been formed and trained to work with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Regional working groups in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles have already hit the ground running. In the last few months, they heard directly from community members about their challenges and have started to demystify the work of the federal government and its programs and services and create new partnerships with community leaders.
To solicit feedback on the plans, the Initiative launched an interactive module where the public can “like” specific aspects of each plan and make comments about particular activities. The feedback module will be open until March 31, 2014 and can be found on aapi.ideascale.com.
Heritage Month
During the Hangout, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center director Konrad Ng announced its theme for this year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May: “I Am Beyond.” Its aim is to recognize the depth, breadth and richness of America’s Asian Pacific heritage, he said
On October 14, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Executive Order reestablishing the White House Initiative on AAPI (Initiative). Chaired by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and led by Executive Director Kiran Ahuja. It works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs where they remain underserved.
India Post News Service
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