The Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) successfully hosted the 2023 National AANHPI Unity Summit on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. from September 25-27. Over 100 AANHPI community leaders gathered to discuss key issues.
During the summit, attendees advocated for five important bills, covering topics such as discrimination, civil rights, hate crime prevention, immigration, and Asian American history education.
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These bills are:
- Teach Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Act (H.R. 3434 and S. 1702)
- Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act (S. 129)
- Afghan Adjustment Act (H.R. 4627 and S. 2327)
- Preemption of Real Property Discrimination Act (H.R. 3697)
- Eliminating Backlogs Act (H.R. 1535)
Organizations like Asian Culture And Education Society USA (ACAESUSA), Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), My Sister House, New Portland Foundation, United Chinese American (UCA), The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), Polynesian Association of Alaska and South Asian Women’s Network…, those are members of AAUC, joined hands for the summit. The event also featured prominent guests, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and several Representatives who discussed legislative priorities, including Connecticut’s Senior Senator Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois), Rep. Grace Meng (New York), Rep. Judy Chu (California), and Rep. Shri Thanedar (Michigan).
Additionally, the summit marked the launch of the online AAPI Community Hub Project, creating the largest network of AAPI nonprofit organizations, totaling approximately 15,000 members.
Several individuals received awards for their contributions, including:
- US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, honored with the Dilip Singh Saund Political Leadership Award.
- US Rep. Grace Meng, recipient of the Norman Mineta Public Service Award.
- Dr. Romesh Japra, celebrated with the Community Service Award.
- Mr. C. C. Yin, acknowledged as Philanthropist of the Year.
- Ms. Tammalivis Salanoa, presented with the President’s Young Person Award.
- Ms. Jessica Wu, recipient of the President’s Youth Awards.
From Left to Right: Lusisana Hansen (Alaska), Jack Hanna (Oregon), Angela Anand (Virginia), Mary Jin (California), Dr. Romesh Japra (California), Norman Mineta, Rep. Grace Meng (New York), Tammalivis Salanoa (Alaska), Dr. S.K. Lo (Minnesota), Dr. Thomas Abraham (Connecticut), Yen Marshall (California), and Jan Xie (Texas).
The speakers also include David Inoue, Cindy Tsai, Grace Yu, Suhag Shukla and Edgar Chen... The summit concluded with a congressional reception featuring discussions on community engagement in Congress.
On September 27, a delegation of 20 community leaders attended a White House Briefing to address the issues discussed during their congressional visit. These leaders are: SK Lo, Jan Xie, Yen Marshall, Jack Hanna, Jacob Harrer, Marsha Golangco, Angela Anand, Lucy Hansen, Grace Yu, Dani Canaleta, Elijah Matamoro, Romesh Japra, Tammalivis Salanoa, Helen Hsueh, Regina Burnley, Shaline DeGuzman, Lalita Kaul, Indrani Davaluri, Yasmine Padamesee, and Shobhana Verma.
It was a highly successful summit, thanks to the efforts of AAUC President Dr. SK Lo and her team. They will continue to create a community platform for all AAPI organizations and leaders to interact and collaborate on vital community issues.