President proclaims October as Filipino American History Month

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

President Barack Obama watches the sun set over Manila Bay from his balcony in Manila

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA proclaimed October as Filipino/American History Month last Saturday. Below is the proclamation.

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

October 1, 2016

I am pleased to join in celebrating Filipino-American History Month and in recognizing Filipino Americans across our country for the many ways they have enriched our society.

An unshakable faith in the promise of America has guided people to our shores since our founding. When they arrived, many of those who first settled here suffered setbacks and faced challenges in their pursuit of the American dream. But with relentless optimism, they held their heads high and laid down their roots—building our country into the beacon of hope it is today.

The earliest Filipinos arrived at Morro Bay, California in the 16th century, and Filipino Americans have long played an integral role in shaping the life of our country. They have been the artists who challenge us, the educators who keep us informed, and the laborers of our growing economy. And throughout our history, they have served as members of our Armed Forces, helping safeguard our Nation and the values upon which we stand.

During World War II, Filipino Americans stepped forward to join our military and fight back the tide of tyranny. Many of these individuals have since petitioned for family members to join them here through our legal immigration system but have waited years to be reunited, even after their petitions were approved. This year, my Administration launched the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program, which enables certain Filipino-American veterans to request that their family members join them in the United States as they wait for their green cards. For many, this policy will allow loved ones to provide support and care for elderly veterans and their spouses. This program is an important reminder that we must suppose those who serve our Nation not just in times of war, but throughout their lives. 

As we mark this special month, we celebrate the ways Filipino Americans have lent their unique voices and talents to changing our country for the better. Their immeasurable contributions to our Nation reaffirm that as Americans we will always be bound to each other in common purpose and by our shared hopes for the future.

Race enters California's Senate campaign

President Barack Obama throws his support to California Attorney General Kamala Harris.

CALIFORNIA ATTY. GEN. Kamala Harriids' bid for the U.S. Senate got a major boost with the endorsement of  both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Harris' opponent in the November election, Rep. Loretta Sanchez's first reaction seemed to imply that race was a factor in Obama's endorsement.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez

In an interview over with the Spanish-language Univision channel, Sanchez was asked her response to the signifiant endorsement. She said in Spanish that Obama and Harris are longtime friends, then added: “She is African/American. He is, too.”

Sanchez backtracked on her interview statement saying she never meant to say race was a factor in the endorsement. In a prepared statement released yesterday, the Orange County congressional representative said, “I would think the Leader of the Democratic Party would be focused on defeating Donald Trump and supporting Democratic Senate candidates against Republicans.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article90672302.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article91430872.html#storylink=cpy

Harris's mother is from India and her father is Jamaican/American. If elected, Harris would become the first Indian/American to win a Senate seat.

In his endorsement statement, Obama said:

Kamala’s experience has taught her that if you’re going to give everybody a fair shot, you’ve got to take on the special interests that too often stand in the way of progress. As Attorney General, she fought the big banks that took advantage of homeowners across the country – and she won. She cracked down on transnational gangs exploiting women and children – and she won. She took on big for-profit colleges that were swindling students and leaving them with a lifetime of debt and a worthless degree – and she won. She took on big oil companies to defend California’s beautiful coast and its landmark law to fight climate change – and she won. Her leadership helped ensure the right of all Americans to marry the person they love. And throughout her lifetime as a prosecutor, Kamala Harris has been a leading voice for criminal justice reform, challenging old dogma and insisting we be “smart on crime” by ending mass incarceration.

Harris led Obama's campaign effort in California in 2008 and was considered a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court to fill Antonin Scalia's seat after his death.

It is not the first time that Sanchez's statements have put the candidate in hot water.

After the San Bernardino shootings earlier this year, she said “anywhere between 5 and 20 percent” of Muslims “ have a desire for a caliphate,” and that they are “willing to use and they do use terrorism.” When Muslim American groups criticized the comments, Sanchez said she was speaking in global terms, not about U.S. Muslims. But she has stood by her statement.

Last Spring, while speaking to Indian/American Democrats, she commented that she though she would be speaking to Native Americans and during her speech she tapped her hand to her mouth to imitate the whooping sounds associated with the stereotype of Native Americans.

Recent polls indicate that Harris has a double-digit lead over Sanchez. Both are Democrats but Sanchez is hoping to woo Republicans who think that Harris is too liberal.

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Obama shares his story, now it's your turn to celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month

EARLIER THIS MONTH, President Barack Obama related how growing up among the diverse people of that island state helped shape the person he is today. 

"I think of growing up in Hawaii," he said in his weekly address, "a place enriched by people of different backgrounds -- native Hawaiians, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and just about everything else."

Growing up in that vibrant mix helped shape the person I am today." Obama urged Americans to go to The New Americans Project website to tell their stories.

"We are a nation of immigrants. It's a source of strength and something we can take pride in," he said.The president also said, "We can't just celebrate this heritage, we have to defend it by fixing our broken immigration system."

Obama said Democrats and Republicans in the Senate did that two years ago when they passed "a common sense bill" that included a pathway to citizenship.

However, he said Republican leaders in the House of Representatives for nearly two years "have refused to even allow a vote on it." 

"In the meantime, I'm going to keep doing everything I can to make our immigration system more just and more fair," Obama said. "It's the right thing to do. And it will make America stronger."

RELATED: Growing AAPI community no longer statistically insignificant

This June marks the second annual U.S. Immigrant Heritage Month, meant to honor the accomplishments and role of immigrants in shaping U.S. history and culture.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 American Community Survey, the nation's immigrant population was more than 41 million, or 13 percent of the total populatio

Mexican-born immigrants are still the majority, comprising 28 percent of the 41 million total immigrant populations.

However in recent years, immigrant groups from India and China, including Hong Kong, but not Taiwan, each account for about 5 percent of the United States' total immigrant population; many moving to the country to work, study or join family members already here.

The Philippines has the fourth highest number of immigrants living in the United States at 4 percent, while residents from Vietnam, El Salvador, Cuba and Korea each make up 3 percent of the immigrant total.

Up until the mid-1960s, immigration restrictions in the United States favored the entry of people from Europe.

RELATED: 1965 immigration act changing the face of America

However, with the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act – a law that made it so people would be admitted based on their occupational skills rather than their country of origin – the makeup of most immigrants also changed from Europe to Latin America and Asia.

In 1960, Europeans made up nearly 75 percent of the U.S. immigrant population, but by 2013 that number dwindled to just 11.6 percent. During the same period, immigrants from South and Central America increased from 19-to-54 percent.n of 316 million.

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Obama exhorts AAPI to be more involved and turn their concern into action

White House

President Barack Obama spoke at the APAICS annual gala in Washington D.C. on April 4.

IT WAS A LOVEFEST.

When President Barack Obama began his speech Wednesday at the Asian Pacific American Institute of Congressional Studies (APAICS) gala with: "Being with the Asian American Pacific Islander community is like being with family," he had the audience in the palm of his hand.

And if there was any doubt about the special relationship the President has with Asian/ Americans and Pacific Islanders, he followed with:

"As many of you know, I grew up in Hawaii. (Applause.) I spent time in Indonesia as a young boy. The food, the culture, the spirit of the Asia Pacific region -- that's who I am."

But as he went deeper into his speech and his tone grew more serious  he warned the community he grew up with, that it is time to step up to the plate and become more vocal, more active, more participatory and demonstrate to the rest of the country that the AAPI community is part and parcel of this country's past, present and - most critically - its future. 

"You're part of the lifeblood of this nation. You are our teachers and our faith leaders, our doctors, our caretakers, our artists, our shopkeepers, our police officers and firefighters. 

"You are our soldiers and our sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, defending our freedom every day. And, increasingly, you are a powerful, visible force in American political life."

After citing a pretty impressive list of accomplishments of his administration for AAPI, he reminded everyone - as if this particular audience needed any reminding - that we are a country immigrants. "We don't simply welcome immigrants, ... we are born of immigrants. It is our oldest tradition; part of what makes us not only exceptional, but what makes us secure and prosperous and free."

Then he pointed out Filipina/American Regina Ledesma, who was in the audience:

"So I want to tell Regina's story, because it's an example of what's at stake here. Regina came to the United States from the Philippines when she was five years old. But when her father, who was an engineer, fell ill, he had to give up his job -- which meant he could no longer secure documentation for his family. So Regina’s mom supported the family by working at a hair salon. Regina grew up as American as anybody else -- she didn’t even know until she was in middle school that she was undocumented. And she didn’t understand until then that she’d be perpetually in danger of being deported from the only country she had ever called home. As a junior in high school, Regina requested relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals -- or DACA -- policy that we put in place. And today, she’s a sophomore studying economics at the University of Maryland. Her future is bright, and America is better off because she is here. (Applause.) That's the story of immigrants in this country."

During his speech Obama cited the need for a better representation of AAPI in the political process. "The AAPI community is the fastest-growing minority in America, but it’s still ..." and here he was interrupted with applause ... "well, that's good to cheer about, but it's still significantly underrepresented at the ballot box.  In 2012, just 56 percent of eligible AAPI voters were registered to vote. And fewer than half of those registered actually voted. So if you’re upset with America’s immigration policy, but you’re not voting -- that has to change."

He praised the AAPI community for coming to the support of the spate of hate against Muslims, Sikhs and Arabs.

"Ultimately, our job is not just to fight for our own rights," said Obama, "but to fight for the rights of all people, everywhere," Obama said to applause. 

Rep. Judy Chu handed the microphone to Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at the APAICS event.

"To exercise our most precious inheritance -- citizenship. And that means we have to be well-informed, we have to engage with our government, and we have to vote -- not just when it’s time to elect a president, every single election," he exhorted the audience. "School boards matter. County offices matter. State attorneys races matter. State legislative races matter."

Though the night clearly belonged to President Obama, his former Sec. of State, Hillary Clinton, also spoke briefly to the audience at the Washington Hilton after being introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA). Clinton was the only candidate running for President to accept the APAICS invitation.

You can read President Obama's entire speech here, or watch the video, below.

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For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

President Barack Obama to keynote the Asian/Pacific gala; Hillary Clinton accepts invitation

Shortly after taking office, President Obama met with leaders of the Asian-American Pacific Islander communities.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA will be the keynote speaker during the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ (APAICS) 22nd Annual Awards Gala Dinner. 

“It means so much that President Obama will be joining us at this year’s APAICS Gala,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), former chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and APAICs board member. 

“Whether keeping families together through his immigration executive actions, expanding healthcare to millions through the Affordable Care Act, promoting diverse candidates to the federal bench, or putting our economy back on the path to success, President Obama has been there for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We look forward to thanking the President for his leadership and honoring his legacy at this year’s gala, and welcome the opportunity to celebrate with him in May.”

Although all the presidential candidates - Republican and Democrat - were invited to the nonpartisan event, only former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton accepted. The campaigns of Clinton's Democratic rival Bernie Sanders and Republican hopeful Ted Cruz did not commit, and the campaign of Republican front-runner Donald Trump campaign responded that he was unlikely to attend, Floyd Mori, president and chief executive of the leadership network said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's campaign didn't respond.

There has been a lot of back-and-forth on the Internet whether or not Clinton's attendance is an example of pandering or not. Believe it or not - call it hiya (Filipino: embarrassment or shame) or "losing face," a value which shows up in almost all Asian cultures - a demonstration of respect is highly valued in Asian cultures - showing up indicates that you value (and respect) the people or organization that issued the invitation.

Alan Yang, left, and Aziz Ansari will receive the Vision Award for their
ground-breaking television show 'Master of None.'

The APAICS Annual Awards Gala Dinner is the premier event in Washington celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) stakeholders, community and business leaders, and the largest gathering of AAPI local, state and federal elected officials and appointees from across the country.

“It is an honor to have President Barack Obama participate in the 22nd Annual APAICS Awards Gala Dinner and share his legacy with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” said S. Floyd Mori, president and CEO of APAICS. “President Obama has demonstrated his commitment to the AAPI community and shares our determination in developing future opportunities for AAPI leaders.”

President Obama has often been described as the first Asian/American president since he was born and raised in Hawaii. He also spent a few years living in Indonesia, where his sister was born, with his mother and Indonesian step-father. He spends his summer vacations in his home state.

Also, in 2009, shortly after he took office, President Obama signed an executive order that restored 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 (AAPI) community.

Asian/Americans make up a small portion of the voters - but in certain states such as California and New Jersey which have their primaries on June 7, they have the numbers to influence the outcome of the vote.

Part of the evening program recognizes individuals and organizations for their contributions to the empowerment and advancement of Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The 2016 honorees are Congressman Xavier Becerra, Lifetime Achievement Award; Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, Vision Award; and Toyota, Corporate Achievement Award.

The event takes place Wednesday, May 4, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Washington Hilton.
To purchase individual tickets or Table of 10, please click here or call 202-296-9200.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

White House vetting Asian American judge for SCOTUS post

When he was sworn in as judge in 2013, Sri Srinivasan, placed his hand on the Hindu holy book, the Bhagwad Gita, held by his mother Saroja Srinivasan.

ONE OF THE names being seriously considered to fill the vacant position on the U.S. Supreme Court is an Asian/American. Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit -- a traditional launching pad for Supreme Court nominees, is being vetted, according to reports.

The friends and former colleagues of the 48-year old Indian/American judge are being interviewed, sources familiar with the vetting process told CNN today (March 5).

The news of Srinivasan making the short list for a seat on the Supreme Court came days after the White House talked with Asian/American leaders in an "off he record" phone conference March 3. Although no names were mentioned during the call, people had a chance to press that an Asian/American candidate be seriously considered for the open seat.

Tina Matsuoka, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association in Washington, said the call signaled the White House’s acknowledgement of excitement in the Asian-American community that the next Supreme Court justice could become the first Asian-American to sit on the high court.

RELATED: White House meets with AAPI leaders

Ever since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month, Asian/Americans, along with other interest groups, have been lobbying for President Obama to nominate a new justice quickly even though Republicans have vowed to block the nomination until 2017, when a new president will take office.

“We’ve been really excited that there’s a number of Asian-Americans who have been talked about in the mainstream press, and it’s really galvanized the community,” Matsuoka said.

Srinivasan isn’t the only Asian/American or immigrant who’s been talked up as a potential Obama nominee for the Court. There’s also Jacqueline Nguyen, an appeals court judge who once lived in a refugee camp with her Vietnamese family, and Goodwin Liu, a Taiwanese/American justice from Georgia on the California Supreme Court. Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, a Mexican immigrant who is also on the California Supreme Court, is another potential option. But of these, experts say, Srinivasan is the likeliest choice. 

Of course, there are many others being considered also besides Srinivasan. 

RELATED: Why not an Asian American on the Supreme Court?

Even though his father went to U.C. Berkeley, Srinivasan chose to get his undergrad degree across San Francisco Bay at Stanford, where he also got his law degree. He clerked with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner and worked for the Solicitor General under the Bush and Obama administrations. He joined a Washington D.C. law firm before President Barack Obama first nominated him in 2012 for the D.C. appeals court, the same court where Scalia served before ascending to SCOTUS.

The Senate confirmed him 97-0 in April, 2013. During the oonfirmantion hearings Sen. Ted Cruz noted that “we have been friends a long time.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, now the chamber’s most senior Republican, called him “terrific” and added “I do not believe judges should be filibustered.”

During the hearings, he parried questions regarding his positions on controversial issues by testifying that he doesn't let his personal opinions affect his judicial decisions. 

Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh, India in 1967 and moved with his family to Lawrence, Kansas a few months later. His late father was a math professor at Kansas University; where his mother also taught art history and computer science. His sister Srinija was the fifth employee to join Yahoo. 

There’s never been an Asian on SCOTUS. “It’s time for America to achieve that historic first,” said Jin Hwang, the president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, in an interview with Fusion.  “The reason why it’s important to have judges who look like the population is it instills more confidence in the justice system… People can feel more a part of society and not be considered a perpetual foreigner.”

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Asian/Americans will figure prominently in President Obama's final State of the Union address

TONIGHT'S State of the Union (SOTU) will be President Barack Obama's last and with nothing to lose and clearly fed up with the Republican efforts to stymie his proposals, could be one that most people will remember.

If you are familiar with previous State of the Union speeches, the President will often point to the gallery when trying to turn an important issue into a personal story. Seated around the First Lady Michelle Obama will be invited guests who will serve as the President's show-and-tell. This year is not exception. Among the guests will some who by their presence will raise the profile of Asian/Americans and their contributions to America: a formerly homeless veteran from Hawaii, a newly arrived Syrian refugee, a former U.S. soldier who is Muslim and an Indian/American tech engineer. 

* * *

"I'M STILL in disbelief. We're leaving tomorrow, and I'm still in denial," Cynthia Dias, 64, a Vietnam-era Navy hospital corpsman and registered nurse said Jan. 10 to the Las Vegas Sun. 

Cynthia Dias

"I was pinching myself. Am I dreaming? Really? This Hawaiian in Las Vegas is going to see the White House and meet with President Obama and his wife?" she said in astonishment.

Dias served during the Vietnam War on a hospital ship treating wounded soldiers.
"There were so many amputees I was helping when they came in, one after another," she said. "When you have helicopters dropping off wounded on a stretcher, you don't have time to think. You just go and do your job."

Dias said her "most impressionable moments" came later, however, when she was stationed stateside at Naval Air Station Lemoore, 30 miles south of Fresno, California.

"I had to go with the chaplain to tell families that a soldier had been killed in combat," she said. That alone was enough to trigger bouts later on with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Because of PTSD she had trouble holding on to a job. About a year ago, Dias says, she was able to move from a homeless shelter for women and children into a former Las Vegas motel that was renovated through private donations to provide 122 units of housing for veterans.

While staying in Veterans Village, residents like Dias get access to health care, job training and counseling. Now she is a volunteer helping veterans through their issues, help them receive assistance and eventually, stabilize them enough that they can stand on their own.

* * *

Satya Nadella

IMMIGRATION will most likely be a common thread throughout the SOTU citing the accomplishments of recent immigrants and children of immigrants. 

Satya Nadella is one such immigrant. Born in India, he is Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, a position he’s held since February 2014 at the company he joined in 1992.  

In September, the Microsoft announced a new $75 million effort to expand computer science education, including opportunities for engineers from Microsoft and other companies with teachers to team-teach computer science. 

Originally from Hyderabad, India, Satya received a master’s in computer science and a master’s in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and University of Chicago, respectively.

* * *

Refaai Hamo

IN CONTRAST, Refaai Hamo's journey to America was more treacherous. He and his family spent two years waiting for approval to go to the U.S. before arriving in Detroit on Dec. 18.

He had fled Syria after a missile fired by Syrian government forces destroyed the complex where he and his family lived, the White House said. Hamo’s wife, one of their daughters and five other family members perished.

In Turkey, Hamo was diagnosed with stomach cancer. After being granted refugee status in the United States, he and his children are now trying to build a new life in Troy, Michigan, a Detroit suburb.

* * *

Naveed Shah

NAVEED SHAH, a Muslim and former U.S. soldier, who was a child when his parents immigrated to the country from Pakistan. Shah joined the army in 2006 and served in Iraq.

The symbolism there is also unmistakable, at a time when Donald Trump, the front-running Republican presidential candidate, has fanned anti-Muslim feelings among some Americans, proposing to temporarily ban all Muslims from the country.

* * *

In case someone doesn't get the President's broad drift on the benefits of immigrants and their role in making America great, President Obama will also introduce Oscar Vazquez, who arrived as a child in the United States before voluntarily returning to Mexico as a young adult and struggling to finally obtain legal status in the United States, will underline Obama’s support for putting millions of the undocumented on a path to citizenship.

* * *

STICK AROUND for the Republican rebuttal to Obama's farewell SOTU, it will be delivered by Nikki Haley, the Indian/American governor of South Carolina. 

Gov. Nikki Haley

Haley was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, on January 20, 1972, to an Indian Sikh family. Her parents, Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, are immigrants from Amritsar District, Punjab, India. Her parents originally immigrated to Canada and then immigrated to the U.S., a roundabout, but well-known path by immigrants who to want to forego the long waiting period for most immigrants from Asian countries. 

Last summer, Haley received national attention when she advocated for the removal of the Confederate flag from her state's capitol after a Euro/American terrorist gunned down  African American in a Charleston church prominently displayed his admiration for the secessionist banner on the Internet. The move gained her respect from both Democrats and Republicans.

In contrast to the GOP candidates running for President, she may appear as a moderate, but everything is relative. However, the wannabes have moved so far to the radical right, that Haley's positions (she's for a more restricted immigration policy and against allowing Syrian refugees into South Carolina) are still far to the right.

Perhaps, the fact that she is from a religious and ethnic minority and a woman, the GOP hopes to appear more inclusive to counter the largely anti-immigrant, anti-woman positions taken by the frontrunners for the Republicans' presidential candidates.

The State of the Union will air live from various television stations, at 9 p.m. Eastern.

President Obama speaks to new citizens, cautions against anti-immigration rhetoric

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA invoked the memory of WWII internment camps in his speech Tuesday  (Dec. 15) at a naturalization ceremony to counter the xenophobia promoted by some leaders of Congress and GOP presidential candidates.

In a moving 20-minute speech, the president compared the recent anti-immigration political climate to the “darkest chapters” of American history.

“In one of the darkest chapters in our history, Japanese immigrants, and even Japanese-American citizens, were forced from their homes and imprisoned in camps,” Obama told the new citizens in the National Archives. 

"We succumbed to fear. We betrayed not only our fellow Americans, but our values.

 “The biggest irony of course was that those who betrayed these (American) values were themselves the children of immigrants.

"How quickly we forget. One generation passes, two (generations pass) and suddenly we don't remember where we came from," he said. "And we somehow suggest that there is 'us' and there is 'them,' not remembering we used to be 'them.' On days like today, we need to resolve never to repeat mistakes like that again."

Although the name Donald Trump or any of the members of Congress were mentioned, the 20-minute speech was clearly responding to the fear-mongering propelled by the current rhetoric coming from the Republican party's leaders running for President regarding Congressional efforts to semi Syrian refugee resettlement, attempts to undo the president's executive orders on immigration and the recent calls to stop all Muslims from entering the U.S.

Although the president's remarks were broadcast live, the news media did not give them the same attention as given to the outrageous statement made by some of the Republican candidates.

White House

Immigrants sworn in as new Americans at ceremonies at the National Archives on Dec. 15.

"In the Mexican immigrant today, we see the Catholic immigrant of a century ago," he said, placing today's controversy into a historical perspective. "In the Syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the Jewish refugee of World War II."

"Down through the decades, Irish Catholics fleeing hunger, Italians fleeing poverty filled up our cities, rolled up their sleeves, built America. Chinese laborers jammed in steerage under the decks of steamships, making their way to California to build the Central Pacific Railroad that would transform the West ..."

Since the terrorist shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, the White House has been trying to temper the anti-Muslim rhetoric by visible signs of concern and remind Americans about the values that have made America the country it is today. Earlier this week members of the Muslim and Sikh communities met at the White House to receive assurances that this administration would continue to speak against the growing number of hate crimes and racist speech targeting them.

"You are men and women from more than 25 countries, from Brazil to Uganda, from Iraq to the Philippines," he told the new Americans today. "You may come from teeming cities or rural villages. You don’t look alike. You don’t worship the same way. But here, surrounded by the very documents whose values bind us together as one people, you’ve raised your hand and sworn a sacred oath. I’m proud to be among the first to greet you as 'my fellow Americans.'”

To those who opposed taking in refugees and those who criticize his executive actions on immigration, he reminded the newly-sworn in Americans, that asylum of offering safe harbor from persecution is also part of the American story. "Just as so many have come here in search of a dream, others sought shelter from nightmares. Survivors of the Holocaust. Soviet Refuseniks. Refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Iraqis and Afghans fleeing war. Mexicans, Cubans, Iranians leaving behind deadly revolutions. Central American teenagers running from gang violence. The Lost Boys of Sudan escaping civil war."

"We are Americans," said the president. "Standing up for each other is what the values enshrined in the documents in this room compels us to do. Especially when it's hard. Especially when it's not convenient. That's when it counts. That's when it matters. Not when things are easy, but when things are hard."

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Man who challenged internment order of Japanese Americans to receive Medal of Freedom

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week, including a posthumous award to Minoru Yasui, a Japanese American attorney who resisted the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and who challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered the curfew and internment for Japanese Americans living on the West Coast.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. The awards will be presented at the White House on November 24th.

“I look forward to presenting these 17 distinguished Americans with our nation’s highest civilian honor," said President Obama.  "From public servants who helped us meet defining challenges of our time to artists who expanded our imaginations, from leaders who have made our union more perfect to athletes who have inspired millions of fans, these men and women have enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans.”

Minoru Yasui, Medal of Freedom recipient

Minoru Yasui was a civil and human rights leader known for his continuous defense of the ideals of democracy embodied in our Constitution. A graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, Yasui challenged the constitutionality of a military curfew order during World War II on the grounds of racial discrimination, and spent nine months in solitary confinement during the subsequent legal battle. 

In 1943, the Supreme Court upheld the military curfew order. Yasui spent the rest of his life appealing his wartime conviction. At the time of his death in 1986, he had successfully convinced a trial court to vacate his arrest, and a case challenging the constitutionality of his conviction was pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Yasui also spent his life fighting for the human and civil rights of all people.

RELATED: U.S. mayor forced to apologize for comparing Syrian refugee plight with internment of Japanese American.

The other Medal of Freedom recipients this year are:
Yogi Berra (posthumous)

Yogi Berra spent over 40 years as a professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history – and an all-time Yankee great – Berra was an 18-time All-Star and 10-time World Series Champion who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Always quick witted, Berra was famous for his “Yogi-isms,” teaching us all that we can observe a lot just by watching. Berra was also a lifelong ambassador for inclusion in sports. Berra put his professional career on hold to join the Navy during World War II, where he fought with Allied forces on D-Day and eventually earned a Purple Heart.

Bonnie Carroll

Bonnie Carroll is a life-long public servant who has devoted her life to caring for our military and veterans. After her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, died in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992, Carroll founded the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which provides comprehensive support to those impacted by the death of their military hero, bringing healing comfort and compassionate care to the living legacies of our nation's service and sacrifice. Carroll is also a retired Major in the Air Force Reserve. She serves on the Defense Health Board, and co-chaired the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide in the Armed Forces.

Shirley Chisholm (posthumous)

Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to Congress, beginning the first of seven terms in the House of Representatives. In 1969 she became one of the founding members of what would become the Congressional Black Caucus. Not satisfied, Chisholm went on to make history yet again, becoming the first major-party African-American female candidate to make a bid for the U.S. presidency when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972. She was a champion of minority education and employment opportunities throughout her tenure in Congress. After leaving Congress in 1983, Chisolm taught at Mount Holyoke College and frequently lectured and gave speeches at colleges and universities throughout the country.

Emilio Estefan

Emilio Estefan is a passionate and visionary music producer, entrepreneur, author, and songwriter who has won nineteen Grammy Awards and influenced a generation of artists. As the founding member of the Miami Sound Machine, and later through a decades-long career producing and shaping the work of countless stars, Estefan has helped popularize Latin music around the world. He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Emilio Estefan is an inductee to the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan is a singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur who introduced Latin music to a global audience. The Cuban-American lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine has had chart topping hits such as “Conga,” “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” and “Anything for You.” Estefan has won seven Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. She is an inductee to the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Estefan became one of the first mainstream Hispanic artists to crossover between English and Spanish language music paving the way for countless other Latin artists to follow.

Billy Frank, Jr. (posthumous)

Billy Frank, Jr. was a tireless advocate for Indian treaty rights and environmental stewardship, whose activism paved the way for the “Boldt decision,” which reaffirmed tribal co-management of salmon resources in the state of Washington. Frank led effective “fish-ins,” which were modeled after sit-ins of the civil rights movement, during the tribal “fish wars” of the 1960s and 1970s. His magnetic personality and tireless advocacy over more than five decades made him a revered figure both domestically and abroad. Frank was the recipient of many awards, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award for Humanitarian Achievement. Frank left in his wake an Indian Country strengthened by greater sovereignty and a nation fortified by his example of service to one’s community, his humility, and his dedication to the principles of human rights and environmental sustainability.

Lee Hamilton

Lee Hamilton has been one of the most influential voices on international relations and American national security over the course of his more than 40 year career. From 1965 to 1999, he served Indiana in the United States House of Representatives, where his chairmanships included the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. Since retiring from Congress, Hamilton has been involved in efforts to address some of our nation’s most high profile homeland security and foreign policy challenges. He served as Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chairman of the Iraq Study Group. He was Co-Chairman of the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future, which issued a report in 2006 calling for reform of the nation’s immigration laws and system. And through the founding of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, he has also been a leading advocate for bi-partisanship and effective governance.

Katherine G. Johnson

Katherine G. Johnson is a pioneer in American space history. A NASA mathematician, Johnson's computations have influenced every major space program from Mercury through the Shuttle program. Johnson was hired as a research mathematician at the Langley Research Center with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the agency that preceded NASA, after they opened hiring to African-Americans and women. Johnson exhibited exceptional technical leadership and is known especially for her calculations of the 1961 trajectory for Alan Shepard’s flight (first American in space), the 1962 verification of the first flight calculation made by an electronic computer for John Glenn’s orbit (first American to orbit the earth), and the 1969 Apollo 11 trajectory to the moon. In her later NASA career, Johnson worked on the Space Shuttle program and the Earth Resources Satellite and encouraged students to pursue careers in science and technology fields.

Willie Mays

Willie Mays was a professional baseball player, spending most of his 22 seasons as a center fielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants. Mays ended his career with 660 home runs, making him the fifth all-time record-holder. Known as “The Say Hey Kid,” Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 and landed on MLB’s All-Time team. In 1951, Mays became one of the first African-American players in Major League Baseball history and won the Rookie of the Year award. Mays also served his country in the United States Army. In his return to Major League Baseball, Mays won the MVP award, and in the 1954 World Series Mays led the Giants to a surprise victory, while making one of the most spectacular plays in sports history, later known simply as “The Catch.”

Barbara Mikulski
Barbara Mikulski is a lifelong public servant, who has held elected office since 1971. She became the longest serving female Senator in 2011, the longest serving woman in Congress in 2012, and the first female Senator to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2012. Applying what she witnessed in her early career as a social worker and community activist in Baltimore, Maryland to her time in office, Senator Mikulski championed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and helped establish the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health to include women in federally-funded health research protocols. She also helped to make college more affordable by reforming and increasing Pell grants and student loans and wrote the law that prevents seniors from going bankrupt while paying for a spouse’s nursing home care. She championed investments in research and innovation, most notably saving the Hubble Space Telescope. She is dean of the bipartisan Senate women, serving as their mentor.

Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman is a treasured violinist, conductor and sought-after teacher. Among his many achievements are four Emmy Awards, 16 Grammy Awards, and the 2008 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was awarded a National Medal of Arts in 2000 and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003. A native of Israel, he came to the United States at a young age and was introduced to Americans broadly when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. Mr. Perlman made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963 when he was 18. In addition to performing internationally and recording the classical music for which he is best known, Perlman has also played jazz, including an album made with jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Perlman has been the soloist for a number of film scores such as Schindler's List, which subsequently won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Alongside his wife Toby, Mr. Perlman teaches talented young musicians through the Perlman Music Program. Through his advocacy and his example, he has been an important voice on behalf of persons with disabilities.

William Ruckelshaus

William D. Ruckelshaus is a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly to protect public health and combat global challenges like climate change. As the first and fifth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, he not only shaped the guiding principles of the agency, but also worked diligently to bring the public into the decision making process. Among the EPA’s key early achievements under his leadership was a nationwide ban on the pesticide DDT and an agreement with the automobile industry to require catalytic converters, which significantly reduced automobile pollution. He also demonstrated his commitment to public service and integrity as Deputy Attorney General. During the Watergate crisis, Ruckelshaus and Attorney General Elliot Richardson chose to resign rather than fire the Watergate special prosecutor. Their principled stance was a pivotal moment for the Justice Department and galvanized public opinion for upholding the rule of law. He continues to advance his legacy of collaborative problem solving in his current role at the University of Washington and Washington State University.

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim is one of the country’s most influential theater composers and lyricists. His work has helped define American theater with shows such as Company, West Side Story, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. Sondheim has received eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Sondheim also founded Young Playwrights, Inc., to develop and promote the work of American playwrights aged 18 and younger.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is an American film director, producer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Spielberg's films include blockbusters such as Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, and the Indiana Jones series, as well as socially conscious works Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Lincoln, and his newest film Bridge of Spies. A three-time Academy Award winner, Spielberg is widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history. His films have grossed over 8.5 billion dollars worldwide. Spielberg is the co-founder of DreamWorks Studios as well as the founder of the USC Shoah Foundation, an organization dedicated to overcoming intolerance and bigotry through the use of visual history testimony.

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is one of our Nation’s most gifted talents. Her body of work includes extraordinary singing, acting, directing, producing, songwriting, and she is one of the few performers to receive an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony. Her performance in 1968’s Funny Girl endeared her to Americans for generations, and she won her first Academy Award for her role in that film. In 1984, she became the first woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director, which she won for the motion picture Yentl. Streisand is also a recipient of four Peabody Awards, in addition to the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors. In 2009, she endowed the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, which works to correct gender inequality in the research of a disease which each year kills more women than men.

James Taylor

As a recording and touring artist, James Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 40 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Over the course of his celebrated songwriting and performing career, Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for classics ranging from Sweet Baby James in 1970 to October Road in 2002. In 2015 Taylor released Before This World, his first new studio album in thirteen years, which earned him his first ever #1 album. He has won multiple Grammy awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

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