White House Initiative on AAPI faces questions from community leaders

INSTAGRAM / WHIAAPI
Holly Ham, left, visits with Mike Nguyen, of VN TeamWork, which offers youth after-school programs, senior social programs for the AAPI community in Houston. 

ASAM NEWS

HOLLY HAM, the new executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPIs), is conducting a national meet and greet tour to connect with local AAPI organizations. 

Ham kicked off her tour last month in Chicago. This month, she met with AAPI leaders in her hometown of Houston, Texas. 

“The regions may share common challenges. However, we will also find unique characteristics about different Asian subgroups across the country and islands,” Ham said in an interview with AsAmNews. “It would be difficult for me to understand AAPI issues solely from D.C.” 

The main focus of Ham’s tour will be on higher education and tax reform. She believes the Tax Cuts and Job Act will bring benefits to all Americans, especially small business owners. 

“The average corporate tax rate among OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations is 24 percent. Our small business owners can face a federal tax rate as high as 44 percent,” said Ham. “The reduced tax rate will help small businesses tremendously.” 

Not all AAPI leaders agree. Representative Judy Chu, D-CA, the first Chinese/American woman elected to Congress, questioned the focus of Ham’s tour. 

“Is the Commission a tool of Trump’s to support his tax reform?” she asked.

“In reality, many Asian Americans are actually harmed by the tax reform bill,” Chu continued. “There are high numbers of Asian/Americans living in California, New Jersey, and New York, where the state and local tax deductions have been capped drastically. Economically, they will be very hard hit.” 

Chu is supportive of current White House AAPI initiatives to increase AAPI success in higher education.  A part of her efforts have been dedicated to expelling the model minority myth. 

While there are AAPIs being accepted into selective four-year universities, 50 percent of AAPIs attend community college. Additionally, the AAPI community has seen a 38 percent increase in those living in poverty from 2007 to 2011. 

“We have Asian Pacific Islanders that have high secondary school dropout rates, low rates of college participation, and low college completion rates,” said Chu. “Many of them are Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. This is why it’s important to disaggregate data on Asian Americans and not lump everybody into the same category.”

Ham, on the other hand, argues that there has been too much emphasis on pushing young people to obtain four-year degrees. Instead, she encourages prospective students to look at alternative options such as industry-recognized certificates, credentials, licenses, badges, micro-degrees, apprenticeships, and two-year degrees.  

Courtesy of WHIAAPI

Executive Director Holly Ham visits the culinary training
program of the Chinese American Service League in Chicago

“There is a supply and demand disconnect with 6 million unfilled jobs in the U.S. due to a lack of skilled workers,” said Ham. “We need a higher education system that looks at the demand for skills and puts programs in place to supply that need.”

This tour is helping to fulfill one of Ham’s two immediate goals for the WHIAAPIs, the other being to fill the vacated positions in the Commission. 

Chu spoke warily on the current state of the WHIAAPIs, “I was wondering how one could conduct such a Commission, which is so important, in the face of a President who would like to tear down family immigration and make America white again. How is it even possible to operate a Commission such as that?” 

“I believe that is why those sixteen commissioners resigned,” Chu added. 

“The resignations should have been expected,” reasoned David S. Chang, former Chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party. “Whenever you have a big switch in parties, you’re going to see an outflow from organizations because of the differing opinions on party platforms.”

“A new Administration deserves a new Commission,” said Ham. “It is such an honor to serve as the executive director of WHIAAPI. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many stellar AAPI leaders and look forward to meeting and hearing more of what’s top-of-mind for them.”

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