Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

This month, the United States celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and the diverse contributions of these communities to all fields and, especially, public service.  The Asian American community is diverse, dynamic, and growing, encompassing a wide range of experiences from Native Hawaiians, to 1800s pioneers from East Asia and the Philippines, to immigrants from South and Southeast Asia.  At the Department of State, we are proud to have Asian Americans serving at the highest levels of leadership, from Under Secretary Uzra Zeya and Assistant Secretaries Michele Sison, Eliot Kang, and Donald Lu, to Special Envoy and Ambassador Sung Kim, Executive Secretary Kamala Lakhdhir, and several of our Ambassadors proudly serving their country at posts around the world.  We tremendously appreciate these and the many other talented Asian Americans who are tackling the foreign policy challenges of the 21^st century and representing the United States at home and abroad.