NJ Asian American Pacific Islander Commission Names Inaugural Members

NEW JERSEY — A diverse mix of 27 attorneys, clergy members and community leaders were named as the inaugural public members of the New Jersey Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Commission on Wednesday.

The group will serve as advocates for one of the largest populations of AAPI residents in the United States.

In November, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation creating the Asian American Pacific Islander Commission within the Department of State. Under the law, the commission will be required to submit an annual report to the governor and the state Legislature. Read More: NJ Commission Will Advocate For Asian American Residents

“As our state is home to the third-largest percentage of AAPI residents in the nation, our AAPI community is a key part of the great diversity in our state,” Murphy said, adding that he looks forward to working with the new commission.

The first group of committee members includes: Peter Ahn, Cecilia Aranzamendez, Angela Bae, Saima Bhutta, Samantha Bobila, Saketa Chadalavada, Dr. Ronald Chen, Gulshan Chhabra, Kin Gee, Smita Nadia Hussain, Sharmila Jaipersaud, Vinita Jethwani, Dr. Khyati Joshi, Sabeen Kalyan-Masih, Rippi Karda, Dr. Naveen Mehrotra, Anjali Mehrotra, Rupande Mehta, Mary Pan, Falguni Pandya, Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar, Amber Reed, Dr. Nimisha Shukla, Amol Sinha, Gabriel Tanglao, Jasmine Ueng-McHale, Yoginder Virk, and Yan Mei Wang.

Several of the new members said they were excited and honored to serve on the commission. They included:

Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU New Jersey – “As a civil rights lawyer and South Asian New Jerseyan, I am proud to be appointed to New Jersey’s AAPI Commission. Our communities’ voices deserve amplification, representation, and political power. I am grateful to Gov. Murphy for the opportunity to advocate for AAPI communities, to promote solidarity across identities, and to work towards racial justice, civil rights, and liberty for us all.”

Peter Ahn, lead pastor at Metro Community Church – “I'm excited and honored to accept this appointment to the AAPI Commission. I will do my very best to help and support this administration move forward the causes and concerns of the AAPI community, and build bridges with other communities. I have the dubious honor of serving as one of the leaders of a monthly gathering of Asian and Black pastors in Bergen County. We not only have good fellowship, but we talk about the difficult challenges between our communities, ways in how we can build bridges amongst our congregations, and birth innovative ways in bringing greater racial justice to Bergen County. I look forward to bringing my experience to the AAPI Commission.”

Rippi Karda, associate general counsel at Verizon Inc. – “It is an honor to be selected for participation on Governor Murphy’s AAPI Commission. I commend the Governor’s Office for recognizing the urgent need for this focus on AAPI issues and identification of potential solutions at this crucial time. This appointment will be taken seriously and I look forward to working effectively with others for the betterment of our overall community. To this end, I plan to utilize my more than two decades of legal experience and training as well as service on various boards to bring a unique voice to this commission to provide meaningful input to effectuate necessary change.”

Amber Reed, co-founder and president of AAPI Montclair – “I would like to express my profound thanks to Governor Murphy and our state legislators for making this crucial long-term commitment to the social and economic welfare of New Jersey's 1+ million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. I am honored to bring professional experience advancing equity in public education through research, policy, and data analysis to the commission's work, and am grateful to the Governor for ensuring grassroots voices such as AAPI Montclair will be centered and heard as we seek to advance policies that plant the seeds of generational change for all of New Jersey's wonderfully diverse AAPI communities.”

The announcement comes during AAPI Heritage Month, which has inspired celebratory and educational events across the state.

• See related article: Lantern Festival Returns To Montclair For AAPI Heritage Month
• See related article: Livingston Parents Hope To Shatter Asian Stereotypes With New Books
• See related article: Summit To Hold 1st Ever Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Event

The commission's work will be more important than ever amid a “backdrop of pandemic-related violence and hate incidents targeting Asian Americans” over the past years, according to Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, who serves as chair of the state Legislature's seven-member Joint Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Senate President Nicholas Scutari said the group is facing a tough but important battle.

“This commission will give greater voice to an Asian American and Pacific Islander community that is making increasingly important contributions to New Jersey’s social and economic vitality,” Scutari said. “They also face adverse challenges that we all have a responsibility to overcome.”

• See related article: NJ Bias Incidents Against Asians Up 82%, State Data Shows
• See related article: Record-High Hate In NJ Towns: Bias Incidents Climbed In 2021

It’s possible that education can help ease the hate, some advocates say.

In January, Murphy signed S4021/A6100 and S3764/A3369 into law, raising a big cheer from supporters in the process.

S4021 will create an AAPI curriculum requirement for schools. Meanwhile, S3764 will establish a Commission for Asian American Heritage within the state Department of Education. Read More: NJ Laws Expand Asian American Heritage In Social Studies Classes

Assemblywoman Ellen Park said that as the first Korean woman to serve in the New Jersey General Assembly, she was pleased to see the bills signed into law.

"With these new laws officially in place, we now have a seat at the table, ownership over our own history, and are able to illuminate the many contributions of the AAPI population," Park said, adding that while they were an "important first step," the state has much more work to do.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.