The Asian American Commission held a fundraising Unity Dinner to celebrate the formal establishment of the commission at the Sheraton Boston Hotel on Monday May 14, 2007. The event was attended by over 400 people. Commissioner Neelam Wali was elected unanimously as the chairperson of the commission.
The purpose of the commission is to be a resource on issues affecting the Asian-American communities in the Commonwealth. This commission was formed in recognition of the General Court’s findings that Asian Americans constitute the fastest growing minority population in both the Commonwealth and the United States, that they represent a diverse population within the Commonwealth, that many members of the Asian American community have overcome great hardship and made outstanding contributions to the educational, economic, technological, and cultural well-being of the Commonwealth but still face many challenges in their efforts to full social, economic and political integration within the Commonwealth.

Governor Deval Patrick applauded the work of the Asian American community in New England and urged them to bring their voices to the State House to be heard. In his opening he said “I told Neelam Wali to come see me at the State House so that I can hear your issues”.

Following the opening remarks from the Governor, Neelam Wali gave her welcome address. “We are all part of making history tonight. This commission came into existence under Chapter 258 of the Acts of 2006, voted by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Mission of this Commission is ‘To recognize and highlight the vital contributions of Asian Americans to the social, cultural, economic and political life of the Commonwealth; To identify and address the needs and challenges facing the residents of Asian ancestry; And to promote the well-being of this dynamic and diverse community and thereby, advance the interests of all persons who call Massachusetts home.’ On behalf of the commission, I welcome you all to this landmark event and hope that we will be working together, to make this commission a voice to be heard in the coming years,” said Wali.

The keynote speech was delivered by Treasurer Tim Cahill who has just returned from India. He was very instrumental in the creation of the commission. “You have a Treasurer and a Governor who really want to work with you. We need to know what you want from us” said Cahill. Also present at the event where Commissioner Ramesh Advani and Honorary Commissioner Ravi Sakhuja.  

The event ended with a vote of thanks where the efforts of Interim Executive Director Grace H. Lee (Deputy Treasures/General Counsel), Anita Patel (Deputy Assistant Treasurer for Administration and Finance) , Asha Ramesh (IT Business Analyst) and Sandra Gonsalves (Legal Department Office Manager) were recognized.  

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