Asian-Pacific American Committee Holds Events
FrontLines - February 2009
The Asian-Pacific American Employee Committee (APAEC) represents
USAID staff from dozens
of foreign cultures spanning
Asia and the Pacific Islands. According to the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, there are 158 USAID employees of Asian American heritage, which equals about 6.4 percent of the Agency’s U.S. civilian labor force.
APAEC’s by-laws contain the following objectives to promote Asian-Pacific American diversity at USAID:
- assist the Agency in promoting
and establishing effective
and equitable participation of Asian-Pacific Americans in its work force,
- promote a better understanding
of Asian-Pacific American culture and seek solutions to equal employment opportunity issues, and
- work in coordination with Federal agency partners to promote
career development and advancement opportunities through training conferences, celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, and developmental workshops.
In conjunction with the Agency’s Office of Human Resources, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, and the Diversity Executive Council, APAEC sponsored annual events at the Ronald Reagan Building in May to commemorate
Asian-Pacific American contributions to the melting
pot of the United States.
Activities in recent years have included a 2008 talk by Prof. Frank Wu, author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White; a 2007 event at the State Dept. organized by Asian American Foreign Affairs Association and APAEC, at which Ambassador Sichan Siv was the guest speaker; a talk by Commissioner Vellie Sandalo Dietrich-Hall from the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders in 2007; a talk by George Takei, actor and human rights activist, in 2006; an event with Suchin Pak, MTV news correspondent and cultural series host, in 2005; and a 2004 talk by Kieu Chinh, actress and humanitarian
activist.
“We want to showcase our culture and share our values, pride, and diverse contributions
to USAID’s programs,” said APAEC Vice-President Mary Jane Cotter.
If you are interested in contributing
ideas and energy to APAEC, please email Bhavani Pathak at BPathak@usaid; or Cotter at mcotter@usaid.gov.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
To have FrontLines delivered
to you via postal mail, please subscribe.
Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
To view PDF files, download
the Adobe
Acrobat Reader.
Back to Top ^
|