Marlon Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
South Korean performers model for Joseon Dynasty wedding costumes (live screenshot)
The Biden-Harris administration celebrated the closing of the first-ever Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in a festive ceremony. A group as part of the campaign advised young people to seek to develop their voices.
Held on May 26 at the Department of the Interior, the hybrid event was hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Initiative (WHIAANHPI) in partnership with the Department of the Interior, National Endowment for the Arts, National Humanities Foundation and the Smithsonian Pacific American Center.
It celebrates the passage of an anti-hate crime bill by Congress, as well as the bill to create a national museum for AAPI history and culture and to enhance education about AAPI history, and the Biden administration’s bill to appoint AANHPI officials.
Speakers included Ambassador Katherine Tai, the first AAPI U.S. Trade Representative, Senator Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii, and Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Representative Judy Chu of California.
President Biden and Vice President Harris delivered video remarks at a ceremony celebrating the late Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.
The theme of the celebration was “creating a legacy together,” according to host and deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Howe Ou.
A group of senior officials appeared to stress that the way AANHPI young people succeeded was finding their voices as a way to break free from introversion.
Nani Coloretti, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, said her grandfather organized a union in Hawaii after immigrating from the Philippines. Young people need to learn to be curious, for example about the people they work with, she said.
Deputy Homeland Security Secretary John Tian said his father, an immigrant from Kuomintang China, had asked about his future while the pair were lifting weights.
Indian performers model traditional costumes from different regions (live screenshot)
“He was a college football player, and I was a high school football player. He had a barbell around my neck and he said, ‘How do you feel about going to college?'” said Tian, who was later recommended by his father. Go to West Point Military Academy.
But he said his decision to go was all about service.
“I went to West Point really out of a duty to my country, my duty to my country, to really get our family into the United States of America, and that made me an American,” he said.
When asked about his advice to young people, he said “there is an unconscious bias in introverts”.
But, he added, the most important thing is to “appear”.
Another panelist, Gautam Raghavan, assistant to the president and chief of the presidential personnel office, said he came out as gay during a national debate on same-sex marriage in 2003.
“For me, coming out, I would say it was my first political move,” he said.
He gave a slightly different account, saying that young people mainly need to keep their heads down and do a good job.
The final panelist, Rohini Kosoglu, the vice president’s domestic policy adviser, said young people need to find their voices even in the face of seemingly trivial discrimination.
“For those of you who’ve been in the classroom, or you’re so nervous as if you’re going to say my name, I know the teacher doesn’t know what to say, and you’re holding your breath, and I think all of that leads to you–brought me to this public service,” she said.
While diversity is a major theme of Biden’s campaign, critics say the administration has fallen short of its commitment to elevate AAPI appointees to the highest rank compared with previous administrations.
Despite Mr. Dai’s cabinet-level position, the Biden administration is the first in 20 years without an AAPI cabinet secretary.
Seemingly aware of the criticism, Raghavan said 15 percent of the Biden administration’s total appointments are AAPIs.
Thai said she has traveled across the country listening to community concerns.
“While these discussions touch on trade policy, we find ourselves talking about our shared priorities and challenges. I work hard to incorporate that into my work and make sure those perspectives are reflected in the policies we develop together,” she said.
Krystal Ka’ai, executive director of WHIAANHPI, established in May 2021 under an executive order, mentioned a project to disaggregate federal data to more accurately understand the needs of the AANHPI community.
“We’ve been grappling with longstanding issues that have plagued our communities for a long time, including the need for more data — and we’re rebuilding trust between our communities and the federal government through our outreach and engagement,” she said.
Still, notable progress may come more from Congress. Hirono introduced the anti-hate bill that Biden signed last May. The legislation directs the Justice Department to designate a person to make it easier for non-English speakers to report hate crimes.
Hirono said the next steps, however, are enshrined in other bills — one to build a new museum for AAPI history and culture, and another to secure forgotten parts of history, such as the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II , more widely known.
The festivities are interspersed with music and fashion exhibits, showcasing the cultural diversity that makes up the AANHPI community.
However, perhaps because of an attempt to include as many different cultures as possible and combine them with multiple speakers, two groups, and plenty of video presentations, the exhibition can feel a little rushed at times.
A dancer in traditional Korean clothing struggles to take off his hat during the performance and spins as he goes.
A Chinese woman in a cheongsam figure stepped on the train of a woman in front.
The panelists also seemed to suddenly realize that their time was running out.
“I just saw that I was at the two-minute mark,” Coloretti said.
Cosoglu, who followed her, said she knew she had a minute to finish.
Still, as part of the ceremony, organizers faced last-minute questions about how to effectively honor the students and teachers who died in the latest school shooting.
In fact, Ou began the ceremony by repeating several of Biden’s recent statements about the Holocaust.
Although Heritage Month was established in 1977, this is the first time it has officially included Native Hawaiians.
Mahlon can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
