On December 20, President Biden announced his intention to appoint leaders as commissioners to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, which was established in May. The Commission will advise the President on ways the public, private, and nonprofit sectors can work together to advance equity and opportunity for members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The Commission is also charged with advising the President on policies to address anti-Asian xenophobia and violence, ways to build capacity in AANHPI communities through federal grantmaking and policies to address the intersectional barriers that AANHPI women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities face.
OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey today issued the following statement:
“We are very appreciative and thankful that President Biden continues to work toward elevating our Native Hawaiian voice on the national stage. The appointment of these civic leaders from across America will do much to advance the goals and objectives of the AANHPI community bringing diverse manaʻo and critical thinking to the issues we all face. I am especially pleased to see leaders like legendary Hawaiʻi educator Amy Agbayani and Native Hawaiian executive Michelle Kauhane represent our people in this effort, as well as Dr. Raymond Samoa who is considered a national expert on how COVID-19 continues to affect our Pacific Islander cousins. I am confident that the leaders appointed to this Commission will help shape, raise awareness, and speak to the specific needs of the AANHPI community as we together move forward to address the concerns that impact our people.”
Other individuals named as Commissioners yesterday include Teresita Batayola, Ajay Bhutoria, Luisa Blue, Kimberly Chang, Emily Chen, Kerry Doi, Grace Huang, Victoria Huynh, Mia Ives-Rublee, Kamal Kalsi, Daniel Dae Kim, Kevin Kim, Sarah Min, Simon Pang, Ai-jen Poo, Naheed Qureshi, Sonel Shah, Smita Shah, Robert Underwood and KaYing Yang.