Diwali in the White House!

President Obama Lights White House Diya

President Barack Obama is re-creating a federal panel to address concerns of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders and to work on improving their health, education and economic status. The panel was created during the Clinton administration. But it expired during George W. Bush’s presidency and was not reauthorized. The full text of his speech can be found here.   Not surprisingly, many website and blogs are covering the event.  Coverage can be found on Sepia Mutiny here, on SAALT here, and on the SAJAForum here. 

President Obama also took the occassion of the announcement to observe Diwali, or the “Festival of Lights,” a holiday celebrated across faiths in India. He even lighted a diya and invited Penn Masala and Dj Rekha to perform! Considering I haven’t even lit a diya in my house yet (and frankly probably wouldn’t have thought to do so without the nudge from the President), I think the announcement  highlights the importance the Obama administration puts on AAPI communities both in the United States and abroad. 

As always, our focus here is philanthropy.  My hope is that the re-creation of the AAPI federal panel will inspire South Asian Americans to get more involved in their communities, especially philanthropically.   What do you think of the White House announcement and celebration?