Hate and pandemic added to reestablished White House Initiative on AANHPI

Native Hawaiian Krystal Ka'ai will serve as executive director of the White House Initiative on
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order Friday reestablishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, reinvigorating the body by expanding its responsibilities, including coordinating a "comprehensive" federal response to the rise in anti-Asian violence and discrimination.

"... For far too long, systemic barriers to equity, justice, and opportunity have put the American dream out of reach for many AA and NHPI communities, and racism, nativism, and xenophobia against AA and NHPI communities continues to threaten safety and dignity of AA and NHPI families," stated a White House fact sheet.

Long-time Capitol veteran Krystal Ka’ai, a Native Hawaiian and executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, will serve as the executive director for the initiative, which will include representatives from across the executive branch.

The AANHPI communities make up the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and make invaluable contributions to America's society, economy, and culture states the White House. 

"Yet for far too long, systemic barriers to equity, justice, and opportunity have put the American dream out of reach for many AA and NHPI communities, and racism, nativism, and xenophobia against AA and NHPI communities continues to threaten safety and dignity of AA and NHPI families," continues the order.

The Commission will advise the President on ways the public, private and nonprofit sectors can work together to advance equity and opportunity for every AA and NHPI community. 

The Commission is also charged with advising the President on policies to address anti-Asian xenophobia and violence, ways to build capacity in AA and NHPI communities through federal grantmaking, and policies to address the intersectional barriers that AA and NHPI women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities face. 

The Commission will include AA and NHPI civic leaders from across the country, and will reflect the rich diversity of AA and NHPI communities throughout the United States.

The new Initiative is charged with driving an ambitious, whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities by:

• Helping to coordinate a comprehensive Federal response to the rise in acts of anti-Asian bias and violence
• Addressing the systemic lack of disaggregated data on AA and NHPI communities in Federal statistical systems
• Expanding language access and language assistance programs for AA and NHPI individuals across federal programs
• Strengthening economic security and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities by empowering AA and NHPI entrepreneurs, building new workforce training opportunities, and promoting workplaces that are free from harassment against AA and NHPI workers
• Addressing the concentration of poverty experienced in many AA and NHPI communities
• Addressing disparities in educational outcomes for AA and NHPI students of all ages, and addressing bullying, harassment, and discrimination in our Nation’s schools
• Advancing climate and environmental justice for AA and NHPI communities who are particularly impacted by the climate crisis and are overburdened by environmental degradation
• Promoting inclusion and belonging for all AA and NHPI communities by strengthening public awareness and education about AA and NHPI communities, cultures, and traditions
• Empowering AA and NHPI communities to be civically engaged, including through electoral participation
• Building a Federal workforce where AA and NHPI public servants are leaders at the most senior levels of our government
• Ensuring that AA and NHPI communities are empowered and equitably served by Federal funding, grants, and contract

“Data disaggregation is a racial and health equity issue. Disaggregating data plays a critical role in better understanding how Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are adversely impacted by health, economic and social inequities." said Rod Lew, MPH, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL)

At a time where anti-Asian hate is surging, the AANHPI communities are also a pandemic that has disproportionately hit these communities revealing the significant health inequities faced by many Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in particular. To ensure that the Federal government is mitigating COVID-19 related anti-Asian bias, advancing health equity for all AA and NHPI communities, and ensuring AA and NHPI communities can equitably recover from these crises, the Initiative will be led out of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ka'ai's appointment has greeted with praise.

“The appointment of Krystal Kaʻai serves as a beacon of hope and provides a sense of place for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We are excited and eager to work with Krystal and the Biden Administration to address the important needs of our community” said Kūhiō Lewis, President and CEO for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Ka'ai has served as the Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) since 2013, leading legislative, communications, and outreach strategy for a bicameral caucus composed of more than 70 members in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

She worked to advanced key priorities impacting the AAPI community, including health care, immigration, education, civil rights, economic development, and more. She previously served in various roles with the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the State of Hawai‘i.

Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, said: "We’re especially pleased that the Initiative will be led out of the Department of Health and Human Services, as our AA and NHPI communities have faced, and continue to face, long standing disparate health outcomes that have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by xenophobia and anti-Asian hat."