By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The White House commemorated 25 years of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) with a lively celebration on May 13.
The initiative, born of President Clinton’s Executive Order 13125 in 1999, has survived five presidential administrations. In 2021, President Biden expanded the initiative to take into account the pandemic and the rise in anti-Asian hate, as well as to include more federal agencies nationwide. The May 13 festivities featured music, guest speakers, and even a magician.
Former President Clinton addressed the audience via video to talk about when he first signed executive order 13125.
“Let’s have fun…government can be fun. We can have music, we can have entertainment, but we can talk about some really, really important issues,” said Kirin Ahuja, former director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and part of the “first-ever” panel that included Executive Directors of the White House Initiative for each of the five administrations since its inception.
“Because of President Clinton’s leadership and unwavering focus on putting people first, as well as the engaged leadership and strong support from Secretary [Donna] Shalala and HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) administrator [Claude] Earl Fox, the White House initiative launched 25 years ago… [as] part of President Clinton’s broader vision to create ‘One America,’ which required a focus on and an intentional inclusion of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders,” said Kevin Thurm, Chief Executive Officer of the Clinton Foundation, during a broadcast of words from former president Clinton himself.
“When I signed the executive order in 1999,” said Clinton in the video, “there’d never been an order of its kind aimed at improving the lives of these important groups of Americans…The only previous executive order in our nation’s history regarding Asian Americans was the shameful one that sent 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps during World War II. I knew we had to do better.” The order is in need of renewal periodically, thus Clinton added, “I’m very grateful to President Biden for reinstating and reinvigorating [WHIAANHPI]…his administration is promoting belonging and inclusion, breaking down barriers to federal programs, and diversifying the federal workforce at every level. America’s diversity is our greatest strength.”
The contributions of the Biden-Harris administration to increased equity, safety, security, and increased visibility for AANHPIs was a strong point of the day’s talks.
“I came in to join President Biden in large part because he was so clear about saying that he wanted to build a country in which everybody had a seat,” said Acting Secretary Julie Su of the U.S. Department of Labor. Ambassador Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative, pointed out that the initiative is now across 32 federal agencies.
Acting Secretary Julie Su of the U.S. Department of Labor.
“President Biden was swift to respond [to anti-Asian hate], said a video summarizing the 25 years of WHIAANHPI, “taking bold action on day one to prioritize an equity agenda unlike anything ever seen before.” The video continued by reminding the audience that Biden’s cabinet is the “most diverse in history” including a “record four Asian American women,” one of whom is the first-ever Asian American Vice President, Kamala Harris.
“The President has said that his administration will look like America,” said Tai. “This team is fighting every day for all Americans, everywhere. Please know, as part of our community, that we have your back.”
Neera Tanden, Chair of the Domestic Policy Council and Domestic Policy Advisor to the President, stated, “I am so proud to be part of an administration led by the President and the Vice President, who see all of us.” Important in this has been the prioritization of disaggregating data, which was praised several times during the day.
“The commissioners of [WHIAANHPI] have pushed the envelope, so that whether it’s language access, whether it’s disaggregation of data, or whether it’s making sure we tackle hate crimes, this administration is on top of it,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In particular, he and others praised the current executive director of WHIAANHPI, Krystal Ka’ai. “Krystal’s amazing leadership in this moment, in WHIAANHPI is so critical,” said Su.
Much has been done. Much remains to be done.
“There are many, many in our communities who have yet to be seen,” Dilawar Syed, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, reminded attendees. “For them, Washington and these audiences are distant, physically, also in spirit, so it’s very critical that the very spirit of this initiative, which is to see our community, to make it visible, [that] we keep that front of mind.” In the broadcast video of President Biden’s celebratory message, Biden reiterated that the work of WHIAANHPI under his administration was to make sure that “AANHPI people are seen and heard at the highest levels of the federal government by working to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AANHPI communities.”
Dilawar Syed, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration
The critical element of “being seen” was repeated everywhere. This included the visibility gained by diversity and inclusivity in media, highlighted in a fireside chat of primarily representatives from Hollywood. Hudson Yang, famous from “Fresh Off the Boat,” and now a young adult, issued a “call to action” to “continue creating and continue normalizing seeing Asian American faces on different content platforms…It’s the best way to fight back against the stereotypes we face, and difficulties we face, breaking into these communities, so all I really want to say is continue doing what you’re doing, fight back against the walls that are holding you back.”
Hudson Yang gave commentary and advice that was wise beyond his years.
Actor and advocate Lucy Liu, continuing with the theme of breaking down not only ceilings, but walls, recommended patience and starting with small connections.
“It takes time to build….and it starts in a smaller community…I don’t think you can just declare across the board, ‘This is what we’re going to do’ and everyone’s going to do it…Even within an apartment building complex, people don’t get along…so if you start in your community, within your school system, within even your own building, don’t you think that there is something that has to come together to build something greater?”
Lucy Liu talked about lessons from the past and hopes for the future.
The celebration was officially named “Lasting Legacies: A White House Celebration of AA and NHPI Heritage and History.” Therefore, the question came up: How do we honor the past and also move forward—what would be everyone’s legacy? Magician David Kwong shared a photo of his father, who emigrated from Hong Kong, standing on top of a high vista holding baby David; and then one of Kwong himself as a father, holding his baby daughter, also on a high point, along with the words “With every step you go higher.” Kwong explained that it was part of a Chinese tradition to take a newborn to a high place to “celebrate birth, hope, possibility, and potential.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it? And I actually think it applies throughout our entire lives and…encapsulates us, our collective experience as Asian Americans,” said Kwong. “We strive, we progress, we rise, and sometimes it might seem just little by little, step by step, but we are always moving upward.”
The celebration can be watched on the White House YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/live/rNYijOEYDBQ?si=x41jawCjVB3wlALB.
Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.