A Samoan, Selu Alofipo, of North Salt Lake, Utah is one of the ten individuals from cross the nation that the White House will recognize as “White House Champions of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling.”
During Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, the White House and White House Initiative on AAPIs are celebrating artists and advocates who have used unique channels and diverse platforms to tell powerful stories, increase awareness around key AAPI issues, and encourage diversity and inclusion in all sectors of society.
These ten individuals were selected for their leadership and tireless work to raise the visibility of diverse AAPI experiences and create dialogue around issues the community faces.
Selu is a self-taught expressionist artist who immigrated to the United States from Samoa in 1983.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana Tech University while on a football scholarship and credits much of his success to the opportunities made available to him through his parent’s hard work and family support.
As a first-generation Samoan American, Selu feels a tremendous responsibility not only to his family, but also to his Samoan heritage to persevere, progress, and succeed by doing things the right way and by utilizing the values instilled in him as young child–faith, family, respect, and above all, hard work.
Selu has returned to his local elementary, junior high, and high schools to speak to students and to personally thank the teachers and administration for their dedication by donating customized original paintings as a token of gratitude.
Also among the ten honorees is Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu is a Native Hawaiian teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader.
Her work as an innovative teacher was highlighted in the award-winning PBS documentary Kumu Hina from which emerged A Place in the Middle, a nationally-recognized youth-focused, culturally centered educational program aimed at making schools and communities safe and inclusive for all.
Hina serves as the gubernatorially-appointed Chair of the O’ahu Island Burial Council, charged with overseeing the protection and care of ancestral remains, and is leading a Hawaii State Department of Corrections program to empower offenders preparing for community reintegration.
She was a founding member of Kulia Na Mamo, a community organization established to improve the quality of life for māhūwahine (transgender women), and served for 13 years as Director of Culture at Hālau Lōkahi Public Charter School in Honolulu.
Hina is the recipient of the National Education Association’s 2016 Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Award.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
The event will be live streamed on the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov/live<http://www.whitehouse.gov/live> on Wednesday, May 4, at 2:00 PM ET
