FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: emma@ncapaonline.org
January 11, 2021
Washington, DC— President Elect-Biden’s announcement of his final Cabinet Secretary nominations indicates that his Administration will be the first in decades to not include an AAPI Secretary nominee. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) issued the following statement in response:
The Biden Administration, by nearly every standard, has set a new benchmark for what a diverse and inclusive government can look like. However, despite the highly-qualified Asian Americans who have been nominated for Cabinet-level, or senior positions, there are glaring omissions that are impossible to ignore: there have been no Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders appointed, and the lack of AAPI representation among the Cabinet Secretaries is an egregious step backwards—especially when there were unquestionably qualified candidates for a number of different agencies.
We call on the incoming Biden Administration to commit to ensuring the AAPI community has a seat at every table where decisions are being made that impact us.
Actions will ultimately speak louder than words. There are numerous qualified AAPIs who should be appointed to senior positions throughout the government. Furthermore, NCAPA is prepared to stand behind the quality and expertise of our member organizations, as we have members who are willing and prepared to engage with the Biden Administration in nearly every policy area ranging from health to housing, or education, immigration and civil rights.
The moment demands that we come together as a country, as we must rebuild our country and restore our democracy. We look forward to working together with the Biden Administration as we share in the responsibility of putting America back on a path that leads to a more just, tolerant, and frankly, kind country.
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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 37 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.