The coronavirus pandemic has disparately harmed communities of color, including economically. This webinar will present findings from a recent survey conducted by the Asian Business Association. Findings highlight the impact of the pandemic and anti-Asian hate on Asian American businesses in Southern California, their access to relief and assistance, and their outlook for recovery.

Featured Experts:

Paul Ong, Research Professor & Director, Center for Neighborhood Knowledge - UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Alycia Cheng, Project Coordinator, UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge & Asian American Studies Center.

Karen Park, Chair of Asian Business Association Foundation and president of TEN Advertising

With Remarks By:

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, California State Assembly, District 66

Moderated By:

Karen Umemoto, Director, UCLA Asian American Studies Center

Speaker Bios:

Paul Ong has a doctorate in economics, and a professional degree in urban planning. His research focuses on the urban spatial structure; race and economic inequality, and urban labor market disparities. Professor Ong has served on advisory committees or as a technical advisor for numerous federal, state and federal agencies, has been an expert for civil rights cases, and has actively partnered with community groups.

Alycia Cheng has worked in both research and publications roles with the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Past projects include work in the areas of sustainability, neighborhood change, wealth heterogeneity among AAPIs, and urban inequality. She is currently a PhD student studying urban planning and development at USC with a focus on immigrant and refugee communities.

Karen Park provides leadership for the Asian Business Association Foundation which is focused on business education and training, research, scholarship, and economic development for the business community. She is an experienced executive in multicultural advertising and marketing, specializing in Asian consumers with TEN Advertising.

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) represents the South Bay of Los Angeles County and California’s 66th Assembly District, which is home to the largest number of Japanese and Japanese American residents and businesses in the mainland United States. He is a former prosecutor and Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice and a former Torrance School Board member. He is the Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace. Al and his wife Hiroko are raising their family in the South Bay, where he has lived for 25 years.

Sponsored by: Asian American & Pacific Islander Policy Initiative of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, Asian Business Association, UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge