President Biden announced Monday the appointment of 23 people to serve on his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Why it matters: Per a White House statement, the group of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders and advocates, including actor Daniel Dae Kim, will advise Biden on policies such as addressing anti-Asian xenophobia and violence — which has surged during the pandemic.
- They'll also address advancing "equity and opportunity" for the AAPI community — in particular overcoming barriers that women, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities face, according to the White House.
The big picture: While Kim is best known for starring in shows like "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-O," the White House noted he's "also turned to advocacy, joining the Asian American Foundation, where he serves as a Co-Chair of the Advisory Council."
- Other members include author Ai-jen Poo; the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress' Mia Ives-Rublee; tech executive Ajay Bhutoria; former Guam congressman Robert Underwood; the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment's Kerry Doi, and International Community Health Services' Teresita Batayola.
- The University of Hawaii's Amefil "Amy" Agbayani; Olshan Realty's Emily Chen; the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence's Grace Huang; the Center for Pan Asian Community Services' Victoria Huynh; physician Kimberly Chang; endocrinologist Raynald Samoa, and Policy Vets' Kamal Kalsi will also serve.
- The other members are Hawaii Community Foundation's Michelle Kauhane; entrepreneur Kevin Kim; former media executive Sarah Min; Instacart's Naheed Qureshi; the Asian American Foundation's founding president Sonal Shah; entrepreneur Smita Shah; social justice advocate KaYing Yang, and Luisa Blue, who retired from a top Service Employees International Union role in 2020.