Join us for this pre U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit event that honored Americans of Southeast Asian Descent!

(A highlight clip in which our guests are asked what message they would want to share with ASEAN leaders can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lESC9unwgLA)

Celebrating the Contributions of Southeast Asian Americans to the United States

As the United States marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2022, the U.S. State Department pays tribute to the generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who paved the way for greater opportunity and celebrate our communities’ journey of resilience. We also recommit ourselves to confronting discrimination and hate in all their forms – so that together, we can create an America that is truly equitable and inclusive. The United States is home to more than 7 million Americans with ties of family and heritage to the countries of Southeast Asia. With President Biden’s Special Summit with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) taking place on May 12-13, this event will highlight the impressive role Americans with ties to Southeast Asia and the ASEAN member states have played in America’s history and our modern society.

Join us for this 90-minute virtual program, which took place on May 9, hosted by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANPI) and the Department of State, a conversation with a number of extraordinary individuals who have made significant contributions to the United States, in the sciences, arts, business, politics, and more. Senior officials from the White House and State Department will emphasize our whole-of-government commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and to deepening people-to-people ties both at home and abroad.

Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided. Please contact publicoutreach@state.gov for additional reasonable accommodations.

SPEAKERS
Senator Tammy Duckworth (Illinois)
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms. Senator Duckworth serves on the Armed Services Committee; the Environment & Public Works Committee; the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee; and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee. Duckworth is fluent in Thai and Indonesian. She attended college at the University of Hawaii and earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University. Senator Duckworth and her husband Bryan are the proud parents of two daughters, Abigail and Maile.

Dr. Jung H. Pak, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs and for Global China Issues

Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI)

MODERATOR
Richard Buangan, Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Global Public Affairs

FEATURED GUESTS
Dr. SreyRam Kuy is a practicing general surgeon caring for veterans at the DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and as Deputy Chief Medical Officer, VISN 16 at the US Department of Veterans Affairs where she leads efforts to improve healthcare quality, patient safety and value-based care for our nation’s heroes.

Amanda Nguyen is a social entrepreneur. Her 2021 viral video ignited worldwide coverage on anti-asian hate crimes and is credited as a pivotal moment for the Stop Asian Hate movement.

Emigrating from Singapore in late 1989, Simon Pang has been in the banking industry since 1981. Simon is currently an Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Royal Business Bank.

Dr. Moe Z. Win is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the founder of MIT’s Wireless Information and Network Sciences Laboratory (WINSLab ).

For their full bios, visit https://interactive.state.gov/asean-aapi-heritage/