The stories shared by commenters and bloggers are one of the best parts of Sepia Mutiny. So when Taz shared an email from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders about a video challenge called “What’s Your Story?” I thought it might be of interest to some of our storytellers.

There is nothing more powerful than the stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Our stories define who we are, and they reflect our impact on the community around us. At the White House Initiative on AAPIs, we seek to amplify these voices nationally. We are pleased to announce the first ever White House Initiative Video Challenge, called “What’s Your Story?”

We’re calling on you to produce a video, up to three minutes long, telling us who you are and how you have impacted those around you. In your video, answer the questions: How have your unique experiences shaped who you are today? And in what ways are you making a difference in your community? Everyone is welcome to participate.

We will review the submissions and post a select number of entries on the White House website. In addition, we’ll invite a group of exceptional AAPI leaders to share their stories in person at the White House this fall as special guests in a White House Initiative on AAPIs event. To learn more about the challenge, watch our call-out video here: [http://youtu.be/UiSgHYNd53Q?hd=1](http://youtu.be/UiSgHYNd53Q?hd=1)

To submit your video and learn more about the challenge, go to [www.whitehouse.gov/whatsyourstory](http://www.whitehouse.gov/whatsyourstory). The deadline for video submissions is midnight on November 1, 2011.

If you watch the video above calling for entries you’ll hear a few comments from Kiran Ahuja, the executive director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs. You may have read an earlier post about her on SM around the time of her appointment. Ahuja’s own story is interesting as well–she grew up in the American South, where her parents ran an inner city clinic, and after high school she decided to attend a historically black college called Spelman. An interview by then-law stuent Parag Khandhar offers more details on her experience at Spelman, and on her work at the Department of Justice and the National Asian Pacific Women’s Forum.