FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 26, 2010
The White House Engages Native Hawaiians
Honolulu, Hawaii – The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
(WHIAAPI), established by President Obama through a Presidential Executive
Order in October 2009, is reaching out to Native Hawaiians. Focused on
connecting community organizations to administration decision makers, the
WHIAAPI is an incredible opportunity to work directly with some of the most
knowledgeable and genuine advocates of community work in the Obama
Administration.
The Native Hawaiian Policy Center, administered by the Council for Native Hawaiian
Advancement (CNHA) dedicated its July policy teleconference convening to the
topic of the WHIAAPI, and to share information with Native Hawaiian community
organizations from across the state of Hawaii and the
U.S.
“Making sure that our community is engaged and has the opportunity to become aware of the
White House Initiative is important to us,” said Michelle Kauhane, CNHA board
member and Policy Committee Chair. “This is truly an amazing initiative,
which gives us a chance to directly share our challenges, solutions and
experiences we have developed as community organizations to better serve our
people.”
WHIAAPI is dedicated to increasing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) access and
participation in federal programs and policies. Established at the White
House in 2009, the Initiative is comprised of two collaborative
entities: a Federal interagency working group co-chaired by the
Secretaries of the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce, and
a 20-member commission appointed by the President representing community
leaders from around the country.
“The July policy call was very
popular among our member organizations and partners,” said Robin Puanani
Danner, CNHA President and CEO. “Our community leaders are clearly
interested and what’s terrific is that our Native Hawaiian nonprofits have
some outstanding solutions to share with the WHIAAPI. It cannot be
overstated how much the WHIAAPI is able to advance the work of community
practitioners.”
Discussions included a six-point plan for the next two years to be implemented by Native
Hawaiian organizations in Hawaii and throughout the continent. As a
whole, the plan presented specific and concrete objectives to work towards
with the WHIAAPI and the Obama Administration. During the call, Tanya
Joshua, an associate at the WHIAAPI joined the call, readily answered
questions and interacted with participants. She indicated that the
policy memo produced by the Native Hawaiian Policy Center was one of the most
comprehensive and impactful memos received
by the WHIAAPI in providing a road map on how the initiative can support
Native Hawaiian priorities.
Joshua also extended her welcome to the Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders while in DC
and expressed that every member of the Initiative is focused on inclusion,
transparency and impact for communities.
To conclude the policy call, Kamaki Kanahele, Chairman of the Sovereign Councils of the
Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, gave a blessing for Joshua and the WHIAAPI’s
Executive Director Kiran Ahuja towards “strengthening our relations, our
resolve and partnerships to serve the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island
peoples.”
The Native Hawaiian Policy Center coordinates twelve policy calls throughout the year
held on the first Friday of every month, as well as periodic summits and
forums. “These monthly policy calls, along with our periodic policy
forums, really serve to inform and engage our members without making it
difficult to participate,” Michelle Kauhane remarked. “Community leaders
are able to participate on policy topics most important to them, and our
policy work at CNHA is guided by the work of our member organizations.”
The next policy call will be on Friday, August 6th to update members on the
Annual Native Hawaiian Convention happening in October, which will include a
Pacific Islanders Policy Forum scheduled
for October 14, 2010. CNHA is pleased to announce that the WHIAAPI
Executive Director Kiran Ahuja, Deputy Director Christina Lagdameo and Tanya
Joshua have been invited and agreed to visit Hawaii to participate in dialogue
sessions at the annual convention with numerous leaders attending the
forum.
CNHA also invited a number of representatives from various federal agencies to attend
convention, which the WHIAAPI is actively working to support and
encourage. Invitees include officials such as the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven
Chu and Administration for Native Americans Commissioner Lillian Sparks.
More details will be provided on the August call.
For more information about the White House Initiative on AAPIs or CNHA’s Monthly Policy
Call Initiative, please call 808.596.8155 or e-mail policy@hawaiiancouncil.org. CNHA
is a national network of Native Hawaiian Organizations, providing assistance
in accessing capital and technical resources, and is a policy voice on issues
important to Native Hawaiian communities. Its mission is to enhance the
well-being of Hawaii through the cultural, economic, and community development
of Native Hawaiians. For more information about CNHA please contact us
at 808.596.8155, toll-free at 1.800.709.2642, by e-mail at info@hawaiiancouncil.org, or visit our
website at www.hawaiiancouncil.org.
###
Media Contact:
TiLeaf Group
A Native Advocacy Firm
P: 808.529.4610
F: 808.356.3423
Comment
© 2023 Created by Ikaika Hussey.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Maoliworld to add comments!
Join Maoliworld