October 2000 Policy Program Update
The President's Advisory Commission on Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) held the Eastern Region Town Hall meeting in New York City on September 18th, 2000. Over 70 community members and representatives from CBOs testified from New York City and the 10 satellite sites (which included Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, Norfolk, and Lowell) on a wide array of concerns and needs of the AAPI communities of the Northeast Region. The Town Hall is the second of five that the Commission will conduct - the first was in Los Angeles, the next three will be in Hawaii, the Midwest, and the South.
Created by Executive Order 13125, the Commission is charged to produce an interim report by December 2000 on recommendations of action from the Commission, informed by the Los Angeles and New York Town Hall meetings. A final report is due by mid-2001. Details about the Commission and the Town Halls as well as full testimony will be available on the White House Initiative on the AAPI website: www.aapi.gov.
In the next few months, the Federation will be using the momentum created by the recent testimony, as well as meetings with community leaders, to strategize on the state and local levels. There are a number of projects in development within the growing Public Policy program of the Federation. If you are interested in staying informed, email Parag Khandhar ([email protected]) or call him at (212) 344-5878 ext. 18.
