Last Thursday’s White House briefing sought to engage Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders into public service. Bringing over eighty interns from various organizations in Washington D.C., the Office of Public Engagement brought speakers to talk about “the importance of engagement and empowerment”. Representatives from the Organization of Chinese Americans, Japanese American Citizens League, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Indian American Leadership Council, DC Mayor’s Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, among others, were present.
It was an opportunity for the White House to reach out to Asian Americans to have a seat in the table and to point out that more Asian Americans have been appointed to office than previous administrations. In turn, Brad Baldia, representing the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NACAP), hailed the meeting as “just the beginning of an ongoing dialogue” and an “unprecedented opportunity to have their voices heard and address important concerns”.
We salute this fine gesture from the administration and the strong presence of the AAPI coalition. There are pressing issues where our voice needs to be heard. In the ongoing health care debate, sensible talk that seeks pragmatic solutions should rise above all the distractive noise and the destructive political rambling.
It was an opportunity for the White House to reach out to Asian Americans to have a seat in the table and to point out that more Asian Americans have been appointed to office than previous administrations. In turn, Brad Baldia, representing the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NACAP), hailed the meeting as “just the beginning of an ongoing dialogue” and an “unprecedented opportunity to have their voices heard and address important concerns”.
We salute this fine gesture from the administration and the strong presence of the AAPI coalition. There are pressing issues where our voice needs to be heard. In the ongoing health care debate, sensible talk that seeks pragmatic solutions should rise above all the distractive noise and the destructive political rambling.
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