Asian Americans Advancing Justice Applauds Stance by WHIAAPI Commissioners
- Contact
WASHINGTON — In a bold move, ten commissioners of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) resigned after recognizing the administration is not interested in hearing from the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community or the federal government workers who represent those communities.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, issued the following statement:
“While the President’s was making false statements about being blocked from meeting with Rep. Elijah Cummings, he was ignoring the WHIAAPI commissioners who had requested a meeting with the President to discuss the commission's goals and to review the issues affecting AAPI communities. The commissioners, after submitting a letter on January 13th requesting a meeting, waited more than a month with no acknowledgment or response from the administration.
The blatant disrespect shown to the commissioners is yet another signal that the new administration’s intention is hostile towards communities of color, including many in the Asian American community, which has been significantly impacted by recent executive orders and confirmation of cabinet members known for racist remarks and ties to white supremacist groups.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice applauds the commissioners who stood up and is proud they spoke up from within the new administration to share how they have been blocked from discussing the issues and needs of our communities, and how the administration’s policies are increasingly hostile towards communities of color.
As Asian American civil rights organizations, we and many others, have fought long and hard for a seat at the table to speak up for our communities who have been marginalized by past government practices and policies. In the wake of the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, which cleared the way for the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, and on the cusp of an expected announcement of a new White House executive order, it is clear any words about unification and reaching out to communities of color are nothing more than vacant words by this administration.”
###