Commerce Secretary Gary Locke extends his greetings to communities around the U.S. on Asian-American and Pacific Islander month

May 1, 2010

Dear Friends:

We wanted to bring you early greetings in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) month. This month marks a time to celebrate the important contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to our country as well as recognize the challenges still faced by many in our communities.

Many of you are in the midst of planning dinners, festivals and events to commemorate the historical, cultural and spiritual contributions of our community. To assist with these efforts, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, has taped a greeting that can be shared at AAPI Heritage Month events. Please feel free to post Secretary Locke’s greeting on your organization’s website and distribute it to your contacts.

The YouTube link to Secretary Locke’s greeting is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-f3mIn-HTI

We look forward to working with you to make federal programs and resources work better and more accessible for our communities. Thank you again for your leadership and best wishes for a happy and festive Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month.

Kiran Ahuja
Executive Director
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders