{"id":57862,"date":"2023-05-09T16:23:40","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T23:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=57862"},"modified":"2023-05-09T16:23:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T23:23:40","slug":"vice-president-kamala-harris-headlines-white-house-celebration-of-aanhpi-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=57862","title":{"rendered":"Vice President Kamala Harris Headlines White House Celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The daylong event featured several AANHPI performers, business leaders, and Biden-Harris administration officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Vice President Kamala Harris headlined the White House daylong celebration kicking off Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. To her left is actress Poorna Jagannathan. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 A packed auditorium stood up and cheered for a long moment as\u00a0Vice President Kamala Harris\u00a0took the stage May 3 at George Washington University here, during the White House celebration kicking off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.<\/p>\n

The theme of the event was \u201cVisible Together.\u201d AANHPIs have long been in the shadows of American society, though they are the fastest-growing immigrant population.<\/p>\n

In her remarks onstage, Harris said that at many junctures in her career, she has felt like the only person of color in the room. \u201cMy mom used to say to me: \u2018Kamala, you may be the first to do this, but make sure you\u2019re not the last,\u2019\u201d said Harris, who is the first Indian American, Black, and first female Vice President in the US.<\/p>\n

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Actress Poorna Jagannathan with Vice President Kamala Harris. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou may find when you walk into a room that you are the only one who looks like you or has your lived experiences,\u201d said Harris. \u201cMy message is: walk in with your chin up, shoulders back, knowing that you are representing the voices of so many people who are proud that you\u2019re in that room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all in that room with you. You are not walking in that room alone,\u201d she said, to cheers from the audience of more than 1,300 people. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who also delivered remarks onstage, noted that the gathering was the largest participation of AANHPIs of any administration. \u201cBigotry and violence have threatened to ravage our communities for decades. Many of us feel like we are invisible. But our administration sees you. Your voices help drive our agenda,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Before beginning her onstage conversation with Harris, actress Poorna Jagannathan \u2014 who plays a doctor coming to terms with the unconventional lifestyle of her teenage daughter in Mindy Kaling\u2019s hit television series \u201cNever Have I Ever\u201d \u2014 shared her story of invisibility. \u201cMy heritage always made me feel like a bit of an outsider, yet suddenly it is a thing. So many incredible stories of the diaspora come from it. And it has brought me all the way to you today. So what a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also sharing the stage was Jerry Won, producer of the popular podcast \u201cDear Asian Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Actor Daniel Dae Kim. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Many of the most visible members of the community attended the star-studded event, including actors Daniel Dae Kim \u2014 Lost, Hawaii Five-O \u2014 and Kevin Kreider, whose credits include The Ugly Model and Bling Empire. Singer Eric Nam shared a videotaped conversation with US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: in a lighthearted moment, the two pondered the name of their possible Indo-Korean fusion band.<\/p>\n

Other singers included MILCK \u2014 who sang her emotionally-raw anthem \u201cI Can\u2019t Keep Quiet,\u201d which focuses on sexual abuse \u2014 Wolftyla, Sonny Singh of the Red Baarat Band, and Keilana.<\/p>\n

News anchors Lisa Ling of CNN and Richard Lui of MSNBC moderated panels during the daylong event. Several members of the Biden-Harris administration were also featured, including Neera Tanden; two days later, President Joe Biden announced that Tanden will serve as the next head of his domestic policy council, replacing Susan Rice, who is stepping down June 1.<\/p>\n

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Brooklyn, New York-based singer Sonny Singh (center) of the Red Baarat Band. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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MSNBC anchor Richard Lui. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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CNN anchor Lisa Ling. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The crowd also went wild as Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, spoke of the need to confirm Julie Su as Labor Secretary. Su \u2014 who would be the first AAPI woman to serve in that role \u2014 is facing an uphill battle for confirmation. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia has said he will not vote for Su, who has faced opposition from several corporations for her pro-worker stance.<\/p>\n

Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, appeared via video. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra took to the stage to advocate for disaggregated data, and in-language access for all public documents. \u201cOn behalf of all of us working in this administration, we want you to understand that, with you, we will make a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to President Biden, our community has become more visible than ever before. We have an unprecedented AANHPI representation in the Administration,\u201d said Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and AANHPI Senior Liaison at the White House.<\/p>\n

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Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and AA and NHPI Senior Liaison at the White House (at the mic.) To her left are Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and Krystal Ka\u2018ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gautam Raghavan, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, said during a panel discussion: \u201cPresident Biden has comprised the most diverse administration in history. Half of our appointees are people of color, and 14% are AAPIs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has said: \u2018build me an administration that looks like America. And across America, people who thought they could never serve at the White House have joined the administration,\u201d said Raghavan, who also served in the Obama administration and as Rep. Pramila Jayapal\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n

In her onstage conversation with Jagannathan and Won, Harris spoke about abortion rights, noting that 74% of AANHPIs believe abortions should be legal. \u201cWe need to have a Congress that will put the protections of Roe vs. Wade into law,\u201d she said, adding: \u201cMy mom always fought for women\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gautam Raghavan, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Vanita Gupta, Associate Attorney General at the Justice Department. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

The late Dr. Shymala Gopalan, Harris\u2019 mother, was a breast cancer researcher who worked with the National Institutes of Health for much of her career. \u201cWe cannot be telling women what they cannot do with their bodies. It\u2019s immoral,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n

Harris also spoke about the need for a ban on assault rifles. She noted the spate of mass murders at primary schools and said kids are afraid to attend classes. \u201cWe need to have the courage to end gun violence,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

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An afternoon panel \u2013 The Power of the AA and NHPI Voice, featured Eric Nam, Artist and Co-Founder, Creative Director at DIVE Studios\/Mindset;\u00a0Estella Owoimaha-Church, Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities<\/em>;\u00a0John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice \u2013 AAJC<\/em>; and Versha Sharma, Editor in Chief, Teen Vogue. The panel was moderated by CNN anchor Lisa Ling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Vice President also spoke about the alarming spike in hate crimes against the Asian American community. The web portal\u00a0Stop AAPI Hate<\/a>\u00a0has logged over 11,000 self-reported hate incidents and crimes over the past three years.<\/p>\n

Vanita Gupta, Associate Attorney General at the Justice Department, noted that hate crimes against Asian Americans have risen by 167%, but are nevertheless under-reported. \u201cUnder collection is a real problem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnforcement is just one piece of this puzzle. We are training law enforcement to be more responsive, helping to create greater access to anti-hate hot-lines, and creating better methodology for data collection,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Singer\/songwriter Keilana. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Canadian poet Rupi Kaur. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Taiko Drumming group. (Sunita Sohrabji photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

In a deeply-moving moment, Canadian poet Rupi Kaur read her poem \u201cBroken English,\u201d which she dedicated to all immigrants. Kaur\u2019s book of poetry, \u201cMilk and Honey,\u201d is one of this year\u2019s most-banned books, according to a list released by PEN America.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had no family, they had no friends\u2026two university degrees that meant nothing,\u201d chanted Kaur.<\/p>\n

The mainstage event can be watched here in its entirety:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3yzqLqj_uvA<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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BySunita Sohrabji May 8, 2023 The...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57863,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57862\/revisions\/57863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}