AAPI Heritage Month 2022 is officially coming to a close, but this year's celebrations were definitely ones for the books — and one house party in particular brought out Hayley Kiyoko, Yumi Nu, and lots more familiar faces.
The White House recently hosted a special reception to honor the rich cultural history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and invited some of the most influential AAPI leaders today. Present at the event were a wide spectrum of representatives from the AAPI community, including community leaders, philanthropists, activists, storytellers, athletes, and elected representatives. The reception was photographed by Eddy Chen, the official set photographer for HBO's hit series Euphoria. A few of the AAPI luminaries spotted in Eddy's stunning snapshots of the event are Teen Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma, singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko, model and musician (and May Teen Vogue cover star!) Yumi Nu, and actor Richa Moorjani, best known for her work in Netflix's Never Have I Ever.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both delivered remarks at the reception, with Harris opening up about the event's personal significance.
“As you all know, my mother arrived in the United States at the age of 19, from India,” Harris said while addressing the attendees. “And when I think about the work that we are all doing, the work we are doing as an administration, led by our President, in terms of not only living the values but standing on the shoulders of so many who imagined that we would all be here and who know that when we talk about the beauty of who we are as a nation, as the United States of America, it is represented by all of the people who are here today and all those who are proud that we stand here today together.”
Biden, meanwhile, gave a statement about how AAPI people are not a monolith.
“You represent a simple truth: There is no single Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander identity,” Biden said in his speech. “It doesn’t exist. The diversity of cultures, the breadth and achievement that has shaded and shaped so many, strengthened the fabric of this country in ways that you can’t measure. I don’t think — I don’t know how you can measure it.”
Below, check out more exclusive photos from the event, shot by Eddy Chen.
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