One year ago today, Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the United States. Since then he has been under fire for comments on race relations and climate change. The White House is also facing criticism over its handling of issues such as immigration from minority countries. In a statement released earlier this week, President Obama said: "I am committed to working with African-American community members who have shared their stories about racial discrimination." He added that his administration would take steps toward addressing these concerns by creating an Asian American Jobs Council.