Green, Delicious & Audacious—Our Policy Work in Washington, DC
October 10, 2009

At the end of September 2009, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center sent representatives to Washington, DC to advocate for inclusion of the Asian and Pacific Islander community perspective in the development of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Executive Director Lance Toma and Lina Sheth (Director of Community Development & External Affairs) spent time meeting with key White House staff in the Office of National AIDS Policy and the Office of Public Engagement.

It was a beautiful day on Friday, September 25, 2009. I was standing in front of the White House, a few minutes early for a meeting in the Eisenhower Building next door. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the First Lady’s vegetable garden. As I reflected on her garden, I realized my current impression of the White House was different from all my previous visits. The White House looked the same, but something was different, something ineffable and hopeful, represented by a simple garden planted by Michelle Obama and a group of neighborhood youth. I pictured the garden as lusciously green, probably organic, dense with what I was sure was a bountiful harvest. This was a garden grown from new, delicious and exciting ideas and vision.

A garden represents how we as people interact with nature–literally starting with the roots of our culture, turning ideas from seed to plant, cultivating nutritious concepts into action and results that are digestible and delicious. This garden is a small testament to “the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.’

Then President-elect spoke those words last March 2009. I was now standing in front of his home, our White House. I was reminded that in this moment we must be audacious and hope beyond our wildest dreams. We cannot be bound by what was before.

As representatives of the Asian and Pacific Islander community, the time for audacity was right in front of us. Lina and I had appointments scheduled with members of the White House staff in a few minutes, at the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and the Office of Public Engagement.

We proceeded to meet with our friends in ONAP, adamant that we do whatever it takes to decrease the impact of HIV/AIDS on our communities. We were clearly focused on holding ONAP accountable to our communities' needs in the development of the National AIDS Strategy.

We then met with the Office of Public Engagement and were, admittedly, a bit star-struck as we were introduced to Kalpenn Modi (aka Kal Penn), Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. It took only a few moments to banish any lingering images of Mr. Modi as Kumar (of Harold and Kumar fame) or Dr. Kutner (from the television series House). With a deep breath, we recovered our professional and respectful air and launched into a lively 45-minute conversation on Asian and Pacific Islander issues around HIV/AIDS, the overwhelming and pervasive stigma that plagues our communities, and ways in which his office could support the cause in the future.

Our short trip was incredibly busy and productive. Besides meeting with ONAP and the Office of Public Engagement, we also met with new friends at SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration). The day before we were at the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy at the Department of Health & Human Services where we worked with Director Christopher Bates and his office to develop a long-term strategy to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Later that evening, we spent time with our many friends at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference where the National Minority AIDS Council was hosting a reception. The fiercest-of-fierce African American legislators were gathered and present at the reception. This was a special opportunity to strengthen our partnerships, ensuring a powerful A&PI community voice remains an integral part of our nation»s communities of color agenda.

On the plane back to San Francisco, my thoughts returned to the concept of community gardens—a space where the collective “we” come together to plant, converse, work, play—where “we” at the grass-roots and grass-tops levels work together to cultivate the earth and envision audacious change. This is our garden. We have been invited in. It is our time.

Peace and Joy,

Lance Toma, LCSW
Executive Director