Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are now the fastest growing racial group in the United States.
According to the U.S. Census, the AAPI population grew by approximately 46% from 2000 to 2010, faster than any other major racial group nationwide.
There are now over 20 million AAPIs living in the United States—almost triple the number in 1990—and this rapid growth is largely driven by immigration.
According to the White House, by 2060, AAPIs are expected to increase over four times as rapidly as the total U.S. population and grow to more than 47 million.
Yet the “model minority myth” – the belief that all AAPIs are educated, wealthy, and successful – has prevented AAPI communities from fully benefitting from federal programs and resources available to vulnerable and underserved communities.
The White House says President Obama has made great strides to improve the lives of people across the country, including by recognizing the tremendous growth and unique needs of the diverse AAPI community.
In October 2009, President Obama reestablished the White House Initiative on AAPIs (Initiative) through Executive Order
The Initiative, housed in the Department of Education, works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for AAPIs by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs, where AAPIs remain underserved.
Through its innovative approaches ranging from interagency collaboration to on-the-ground community outreach, the Initiative seeks to highlight both the tremendous unmet needs in the AAPI community as well as the dynamic community assets that can be leveraged to meet many of those needs.
The Executive Order also established the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, which is also housed at the Department of Education and is comprised of community and business leaders representing the diverse AAPI community.
• Since 2009, the Initiative has held hundreds of roundtables, stakeholder meetings, and summits in the majority of states, the District of Columbia, and the Pacific Islands, connecting countless individuals to federal resources.
• The Initiative has worked with senior leaders through its Interagency Working Group to publicly release individual strategic plans for 24 federal agencies and offices to increase access to federal resources.
