Erika Morisugu, Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Appointed White House Senior Liaison for Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs

East Asian Hawaiian Immigrants... Descendants of Japanese and Chinese
White House Establishes Liaison Following Atlanta Shooting Incident

Erica Morisugu, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, appointed as Senior Liaison for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affairs at the White House [Image source= U.S. National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Erica Morisugu, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has been appointed as the White House Senior Liaison for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) violence prevention, a position newly established following the Atlanta shooting incident. This appointment is known to have been made in response to criticism that, despite the Biden administration's pursuit of racial diversity, Asian Americans have been relatively excluded from government positions.

According to CNN and other foreign media on the 14th (local time), the White House announced the appointment of Morisugu, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as the White House Senior Liaison for AAPI. She currently serves as the Vice President of the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF), has worked as legal counsel for Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Asian American lawmaker, and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration.

The Biden administration had previously announced that it would appoint a White House Senior Liaison for AAPI following the Atlanta shooting incident, which was known as a hate crime targeting Asians, including four Korean American women. At that time, Asian American Democratic women senators Duckworth and Mazie Hirono strongly advocated for the establishment of the White House Senior Liaison for AAPI to prevent hate crimes against Asians, warning that they would block confirmation of government appointees who do not reflect racial diversity if the position was not created, sparking controversy.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), composed of AAPI members of the U.S. Congress, also criticized the Biden administration for not appointing any APPI-origin cabinet members. Currently, there are about two AAPI individuals in senior positions in the Biden administration: Vice President Kamala Harris and Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). President Biden is scheduled to meet with CAPAC members at the White House on the 15th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.