Biden Launches Initiative To Support Asian Americans And Pacific Islanders
A new regional network will help connect communities with federal resources.
President Joe Biden’s administration has officially launched
The initiative “will focus on helping to coordinate a comprehensive federal response to the rise in acts of anti-Asian bias and violence; address the systemic lack of disaggregated data on AA and NHPI communities; expand language access and language assistance programs for AA and NHPI individuals across federal programs; address educational, health, economic, and housing disparities impacting AA and NHPI communities, and more,” according to a press release from the White House.
The initiative will be housed within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services led by Xavier Becerra. The White House press release said the initiative is “is charged with driving an ambitious, whole-of-government agenda to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities in the United States.”
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders was created in response to Biden’s executive order 14031, “Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.”
Becerra announced Thursday U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai would be his co-chair of the initiative, which includes a new working group “tasked with coordinating the federal government鈥檚 efforts to support AA and NHPI communities,” the White House press release said.
“It also includes a Regional Network comprised of federal officials in ten federal regions across the country who help to connect AA and NHPI communities with federal grants, programs, and resources,” the press release said.
“We now have the tools to secure resources, promote opportunities, and increase the visibility of AA and NHPI communities,” the initiative’s executive director Krystal Ka鈥榓i said.
