WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) will host an economic summit at Metro State University in Saint Paul to connect Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) community members directly with federal resources and opportunities resulting from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, his economic plan that is fostering a historic small business boom, strengthening U.S. supply chains, creating good-paying jobs, and expanding economic opportunity across America.
The event, the seventh in a series of regional gatherings that kicked off in Philadelphia in January 2023, is being held in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, U.S. Department of Energy, the National Asian / Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, other federal agency partners, and local community leaders.
The White House Initiative’s AA and NHPI Economic Summit series, spurred by a May 2022 recommendation from the President’s Advisory Commission on AA and NHPIs, builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to empowering underserved communities by connecting them directly with federal leaders and resources. It also follows the release of the Administration’s first-ever national strategy to advance equity and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities, which outlines agency commitments to strengthen capacity building.
Language barriers and limited outreach have historically held AA and NHPIs back from applying for federal procurement, jobs, grants, and programs. Through the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and other initiatives, the Biden-Harris Administration is making once-in-a-generation investments to address these issues, provide direct relief, and expand economic opportunity. Learn more here.
In May 2021, President Joe Biden re-established and reinvigorated WHIAANHPI through Executive Order 14031. The Initiative’s whole-of-government approach engages federal agencies to improve interagency policymaking, program development, and outreach, and address barriers impacting AA and NHPIs across the country.
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About the Initiative
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), established by President Joe Biden through Executive Order 14031, is charged with coordinating a whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.
About Metro State University
Founded in 1971, Metro State University, a member of Minnesota State, is the Twin Cities' public, urban, comprehensive state university providing lifelong learning and competitive academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. The University currently offers more than 60 undergraduate programs and more than 25 graduate degrees. Metro State ranks 22nd in the nation and first in Minnesota on CollegeNet's Social Mobility Index, which measures colleges' and universities' success in elevating students from low-income strata into the middle class within five years of graduation. To learn more, visit metrostate.edu.
Media Contact
Laura Lindahl
Director of Marketing and Communications, Metro State University
communications@metrostate.edu