FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: emma@ncapaonline.org
May 28th, 2021
Washington, DC—The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) issued the following statement regarding President Biden’s recent Executive Order establishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), and the appointment of Krystal Ka’ai to serve as its Executive Director. The White House statement can be read here. The re-establishment of this White House Initiative reflects recommendations made by NCAPA in its letter to the White House and its 2020 Policy Platform.
As Asian Pacific American Heritage Month comes to a close, the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community celebrates President Biden’s commitment to combat the racial inequity facing AA & NHPI communities. We deeply appreciate the many opportunities we have had to engage with the Administration to date, and the establishment of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders is critical to laying the groundwork to address our community needs moving forward. We are heartened that a number of our recommendations have been adopted and look forward to continuing our work together with the White House.
We also applaud the Biden Administration’s decision to change the name of the Initiative to explicitly include Native Hawaiians. This change may seem minor, but its resonance is anything but. Finally, we also congratulate Kristal Ka’ai for her appointment as WHIAANHPI’s Executive Director. As the first Native Hawaiian to serve in this role, and with her extensive record of working to advance the AA and NHPI community, we are ecstatic to continue collaborating with her.
Tavae Samuelu, Executive Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) commented:
“EPIC applauds this historic appointment. We look forward to working closely with Krystal Ka’ai to better serve and meet the needs of the Pacific Islander community.”
Priya Purandare, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) stated:
“Krystal has been a steadfast advocate for the AA and NHPI communities. Her experience working on nearly every important legislative and policy priority affecting the AA and NHPI populations makes her uniquely situated to lead WHIAANHPI during the most critical times for these communities. NAPABA is proud to have supported her candidacy, and we look forward to working with her in her new role and strengthening our relationship with WHIAANHPI.”
Kenrick Ross, Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) said:
“The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) applauds President Biden’s Executive Order establishing the WHIAANHPI today and his recognition of both the contributions of AAHNHPI communities and our multifaceted, critical, and often under-addressed priorities. We congratulate Krystal Ka’ai on her appointment as Executive Director of the initiative and look forward to working with her and her team and officials across the Administration to advance equity and justice for LGBTQ API Americans and all the communities we call home.”
Brendan Flores, National Chair and President of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) added:
“The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) celebrates President Biden’s Executive Order reestablishing a White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. We thank him for listening to the needs of our community and working closely with us to expand representation to include Native Hawaiians and to address issues in the AANHPI community such as disaggregated data, language access, poverty, climate justice, and the rise in anti-Asian violence. We also extend a warm congratulations to Krystal Ka’ai for being selected as the Executive Director of the Initiative. NaFFAA is eager to work with Krystal and her team at WHIAANHPI to work towards the equity, inclusion, and protection of our communities.”
Kūhiō Lewis, President and CEO for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) stated:
“The appointment of Krystal Ka’ai 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.”
Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) commented:
“We are excited to continue working with Krystal Ka’ai in her new role as Executive Director at WHIAANHPI. Her appointment is a reassuring decision that reinforces the Biden-Harris administration’s intention to expand the scope of the initiative and tap individuals who have a history working in the community. We look forward to working with Krystal and the administration to implement its, ‘whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity.’ The 2020 election was momentous for the AAPI electorate in turnout that was driven by their disproportionate use of mail in ballots, and we need to ensure that all voters continue to have access to the ballot box. AANHPI communities are speaking out and it’s time that federal agencies work more effectively for this community on issues they care about, like jobs, health care, and gun control.”
Mona Shah, Executive Director of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America) added:
“The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA North America) applauds the Executive Order establishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and delivering on President Biden’s commitment to reinstate this historic and necessary Initiative. Anti-Asian bias, violence, and xenophobia have no place in our society. SABA North America stands ready to work with all on combating all acts of racial violence.”
Vimala Phongsavanh, Incoming Board Chair of Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) stated:
“We’re excited to see that WHIAAPI is being reestablished today and are excited to work with their leadership on the critical issues facing Laotian Americans. Too often, Laotian Americans are invisibilized and erased from the larger Asian American dialogue, but we are hopeful that this administration sees and hears us. We look forward to working in partnership with WHIAANHPI on issues that will help our communities thrive, like data disaggregation, ethnic studies, and language access.”
Myron Quon, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA) said:
“NAPAFASA is incredibly thrilled at the establishment of the WHIAANHPI at the Department of Health and Human Services. The pandemic and lockdown has exposed the many health disparities that impact our community members, from testing to access to vaccines. The past year of breathtaking anti-Asian hate incidents also have increased stress upon our communities. NAPAFASA looks forward to working with Krystal Ka’ai on providing equal access to our community members through partnerships with local community partners, on the road to recovery from COVID-19.”
Hope R. Atuel, Executive Director of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) added:
“We are thrilled to hear that President Biden is reinstating WHIAAPI and has appointed Krystal Ka’ai’s as its Executive Director. Ms. Kai is prepared to meet unprecedented challenges that our community is faced with and be a strong advocate to address the housing gap brought by racial disparities.”
Noël S. Harmon, PhD., President & Executive Director, of Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA Scholars) stated:
“APIA Scholars is excited to work on higher education issues with the re-established WHIAANHPI initiative to make sure that AANHPI students, researchers and institutional leaders are able to thrive. We know our nation’s colleges and universities are important pipelines of talent for tomorrow’s jobs and want to make sure the institutions that serve our diverse students well are supported in their efforts.”
Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) commented:
“APIAHF applauds the Biden administration on establishing the WHIAANHPI, enhancing visibility for the Native Hawaiian community, and we are thrilled that Krystal Ka’ai has been selected to serve as executive director of the Initiative. Moreover, 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 hate. We are confident that Krystal is exactly the right person for the job to lead the Initiative for a whole of government approach, together with community, to advancing the health and well-being of our communities.”
David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) added:
“We applaud the executive order establishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with an expanded scope of responsibility to address the intersection of AANHPI communities with the many issues that challenge our communities, and this country including healthcare, education, economic opportunity and development, voting rights, Federal workforce representation, and of course safety from the rise in anti-Asian hate. The appointment of Krystal Ka’ai as Executive Director will install the ideal leader to take on these broad challenges and lead the initiative and we look forward to continuing to work with Ms. Ka’ai in her new role.”
Abraham Kim, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Council of Korean Americans (CKA) said:
“Congratulations to Krystal Ka’ai for being appointed to serve as Executive Director of the newly reinstated White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Under her leadership and dedication, the Council of Korean Americans (CKA) looks forward to working with Krystal as our community’s leaders seek to combat the rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in the U.S. and promote the advancements of AANHPIs everywhere.”
Rod Lew, MPH, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL) commented:
“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. We are hopeful for President Biden’s reestablishing of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and its potential in addressing data disaggregation.”
Linda Ng, National President of OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates stated:
“We thank the Biden-Harris administration for showing commitment and solidarity with the AANHPI community through the institution of WHIAANHPI under DHHS and signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law among other visible support measures from these past five months. We are excited to see the leadership of Krystal Ka’ai as she transitions out of CAPAC into her new role with this Initiative. OCA has had the pleasure of working closely with Krystal in the past, and we know that she will serve as a strong advocate and voice for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. OCA looks forward to the other measures that have been promised by this administration: expanding diversity beyond representation alone, funding critical research with disaggregated data to show the unique needs of the ethnic groups under the AANHPI umbrella-term, and working with community partners and organizations to bring progress to our communities.”
John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC added:
“We welcome the re-authorization of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and congratulate Krystal Ka’ai for her appointment as its Executive Director. Having worked closely with Krystal for many years in her role as the Executive Director for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, we know that her expertise and dedication will benefit the work of the Initiative greatly. We look forward to working with her and the Initiative in addressing the critical needs of our communities.”
Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, President and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) said:
“We applaud President Biden for reestablishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and congratulate Krystal Ka’ai on her historic selection to serve as the Initiative’s Executive Director. The AA and NHPI community is the fastest growing demographic in the United States and it’s critical that our issues are heard in the Administration. Krystal has a decade of experience doing just that, and we look forward to continuing working with her in the Administration.”
Alvina Yeh, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO stated:
“We commend the Biden administration in renewing the WHIAANHPI. There is much work to be done in fighting for immigrant workers, workers of color, and women workers in order to ensure that our communities aren’t left behind as we ‘build back better’ and recover from the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We congratulate the appointment of Krystal Ka’ai as someone who has the depth of experience, relationships, and expertise to guide the WHIAANHPI. She has the trust of many in the AAPI community and we look forward to working with her and WHIAANHPI to build AAPI worker power.”
Jeffrey B. Caballero, Executive Director of The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) commented:
“AAPCHO applauds President Biden’s renewal of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and housing the Initiative within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We appreciate the President’s selection of HHS as the Initiative’s lead agency given the many challenges affecting AA and NHPI communities, including the significant health and mental health concerns from COVID-19, anti-Asian hate, systemic health and health access disparities. AAPCHO further applauds President Biden’s historic appointment of Krystal Ka’ai to serve as the Initiative’s first executive director of Native Hawaiian descent. As executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for nearly a decade, Krystal has always centered the needs of the community in guiding the Caucus’ work and ensuring that AA and NHPI issues were championed by Members of Congress and in federal policies. AAPCHO and our member community health centers congratulate Krystal on her appointment and we look forward to continuing to work with her in this new role.”
Joon Bang, President and CEO of National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) said:
“We congratulate Krystal Ka’ai on her appointment and are excited to work with her and the Biden Administration on the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. NAPCA is confident that Krystal and the administration can meet the challenges of balancing inequities that affect our community as it grows and ages. We are committed to eliminating the systemic, cultural and language barriers that exist for our Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander older adults.”
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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.