“On October 14, 2009 President Obama signed an executive order that restores the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to address issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.” (WHIAAPI)
This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Southeast Regional Action Summit hosted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Students across the country were in attendance to listen to keynote speaker, Chris Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, and WHIAAPI Co-chair. Other speakers also contributed, such as WHIAAPI Executive Director Kiran Ahuja, and Hines Ward, the WHIAAPI commissioner. For those of you who aren’t versed in long and confusing acronyms, WHIAAPI refers to White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
The topics that drew us in for this summit was, simply put, to talk about resources and initiatives related to AAPI community members. They offered information on the foreclosure crisis, and John Trasvina, the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing in the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development, spoke to us about how to avoid foreclosure and preventing loan modification fraud, among other common issues. Later, Shyam Reddy, Region IV Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration and Cassius Butts, Regional IV Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, spoke on the topic of growing small business with a concentration on exporting and building capital. A topic that hit home for many in attendance was elaborated upon by Andrew Strait, Public Advocate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Seema Nanda, Deputy Special Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice. They spoke about immigration and and refugee communities, and were accompanied by immigration rights officials and organizations. Additionally, Dr. Arlene M. Lester, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service, Regional Minority Health Consultant, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services talked about mental and physical health and resources available pertaining to maintaining a healthy life.
Students and administrators were urged to Tweet, blog, and submit questions to WHIAAPI throughout the day, and their efforts to promote open dialogue were well-received. Many critical questions, as well as compelling stories, were shared and answered throughout the day, and insights were revealed by students and White House officials alike. I was overwhelmed by the impressive rhetoric and thoughts that were raised, and I had a feeling of community and familiarity with a sea of people who seemed passionate and involved in issues that affected not just themselves, but the AAPI community at large.
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