Seeking to address acts of anti-Asian bias and violence and to examine lack of data in Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in the U.S., the Biden administration formed a commission earlier this month.

On Monday, 23 commissioners to the advisory commission on AANHPI were announced, and they include several Hawaii folks.

Amy Agbayani will serve on President Biden’s new AAPI commission. Anita Hofschneider/Civil Beat/2019

According to a press release from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, the locally connected commissioners are Amy Agbayani, Kimberly Chang, Kerry Doi, Michelle Kauhane and Daniel Dae Kim.

Agbayani is an emeritus assistant vice chancellor for student diversity and equity at UH Manoa, Chang is a board-certified family physician in Oakland, California, at Asian Health Services; Doi helps lead the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment; Kauhane is the senior vice president of community grants and initiatives at the Hawaii Community Foundation; and Kim is an actor, director and producer.

Other commissioners include Ai-jen Poo, an organizer and author, and Robert Underwood, a former member of Congress representing Guam.

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