By Assunta Ng
Jill Biden speaking on the SSCC panel
(Photo provided by Evelyn Yenson)
On July 9, three White House officials visited Seattle. As a member of the media, I was invited to all three meet-and-greet events. Vice President Joe Biden was in town to campaign for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell at the Seattle Westin Hotel. Although I admire Biden, I hesitated to go to his event because I didn’t want to waste two hours just going through security.
Biden’s wife Jill was also in town. She was on the South Seattle Community College panel, held right before a reception for Kiran Ahuja, executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the Wing.
I decided to attend the Wing’s reception because it was more relevant for our readership.
Ahuja, of Indian descent, received accolades for her work bridging the gap between the federal government and the API community. It reflected President Obama’s effort to provide API access of federal services.
From left: InterIm’s Hyeok Kim, White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Kiran Ahuja, The Wing’s Beth Takekawa, and WASITRAC’s Debadutta Dash (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)
It may seem like a coincidence for all three to be in town at the same time, but during an election year, officials are using every opportunity to connect with voters. Just invite them.
Chances are, they are likely to show up.(end)
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