Asian American and Pacific Islander Business Community Learns of Federal Programs and Services

Gayle Knowlson providing assistance to local business owner.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Atlanta Regional Office participated recently, as a member of the Region IV Federal Interagency Working Group, of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islander (WHIAAPI [www.whitehouse.gov/aapi]) in providing an informational briefing for the Atlanta Region AAPI business community at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Joining HUD in this collaborative effort was the Atlanta Federal Executive Board; U.S. Small Business Administration; Social Security Administration; U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; U.S. Dept. of Education; U.S. Department of Labor; FEMA; General Services Administration and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The purpose of the information briefings was to provide the AAPI business community with essential information concerning each respective federal agencies core programs and services and to network with them as well to better understand their needs.

Nearly 290,000 Asian Americans and 7,700 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) live in the Atlanta MSA. Asian Americans own nearly 36,000 businesses and NHPI own 648 businesses employing more than 58,000 people dispensing over $1.5 billion in annual payroll in the Atlanta MSA.

Dr. Renard Murray, Regional Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Southeast and WHIAPPI National Co-Chair provided the welcome. Rebecca Lee, Advisor, White House Intiative on AAPIs provided opening remarks followed by welcoming remarks from Nick Masino, Senior Vice-President Development and Partnership Gwinnett and Daniel J. Kaufman, President Gwinnet Chamber of Commerce. Their remarks were followed by the information briefings presented by respective federal agencies.

Gayle Knowlson, Director, HUD Program Support Division, Atlanta Homeownership Center presented essential information about housing services as part of the evening's program to over 60 AAPI business owners. Additionally, after the information briefings business owners were invited to remain and meet with and ask questions of the federal agency representatives. And closing remarks were provided by Ron Stephens, Executive Director, Atlanta Federal Executive Board.

On October 14, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Executive Order (www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-community) reestablishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Initiative). The Initiative, chaired by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan (www.ed.gov/edblogs/aapi/iwg/#ArneDuncan) and led by Executive Director Kiran Ahuja (www.ed.gov/edblogs/aapi/staff/#KiranAhuja), is housed within the U.S. Department of Education. The Initiative works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs where they remain underserved.

The Initiative works collaboratively with the White House Office of Public Engagement and the designated Federal agencies to increase Asian American and Pacific Islander participation in programs in education, commerce, business, health, human services, housing, environment, arts, agriculture, labor and employment, transportation, justice, veterans affairs and economic and community development.

The Initiative seeks to highlight both the tremendous unmet needs in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities as well as the dynamic community assets that can be leveraged to meet many of those needs.

The Initiative focuses on crosscutting priority areas that may reach across all issue areas and agencies, including, for example, advancing research, data collection, analysis and dissemination for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and ensuring access, especially linguistic access and cultural competence, for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and encouraging Asian American and Pacific Islander involvement in public service and civic engagement opportunities.

###