ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS MEET WITH LEGISLATORS IN VIRGINIA TO DISCUSS THE STATE AND FUTURE OF AAPI BUSINESSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2022
[April 13, 2022, Falls Church, Virginia] – The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) alongside affiliate partners, Vietnamese Business and Investment (VBI) Global and International Leadership Foundation (ILF), hosted an AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable in Falls Church, Virginia for Vietnamese-American small business owners to discuss the state of business with local community leaders.
The AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable is an open forum for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander business owners in the United States to connect with policymakers, corporate partners, and community leaders to find solutions for the barriers facing minority-owned small businesses today.
The Virginia roundtable was attended by Falls Church Vice Mayor, Letty Hardi, and 25 Vietnamese-American small business owners. VBI Global representative, Vinh Nguyen, mentioned the organization’s efforts to encourage the Vietnamese-American community to attend local Small Business Administration (SBA) events. AAPI small business owners raised that instead of seeking help from the government, they prefer to figure things out on their own or within their own networks. They would like to see more in-language resources and services available to the AAPI community. Many of the participants agreed that language translation services are an urgent need for the Vietnamese and broader AAPI community. Vice Mayor Hardi echoed these concerns when she shared that she and her team visited all the businesses in Falls Church’s Eden Center—a Vietnamese and Asian shopping center—with a translator to provide information on the vaccines.
“Our business community continues to face many challenges. Asian American and Pacific Islander small business owners have battled both COVID-19 and a sharp spike in discrimination and violence. Our policymakers play a significant role in protecting our community, allowing our small businesses to operate safely, and creating prosperity,” said National ACE CEO/President Chiling Tong. “This conversation will help policymakers to understand the unmet needs of our community so we can find solutions. National ACE looks forward to working with our strategic partners, policymakers, and small business owners in Virginia to advance solutions that will help our economy move forward.”
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About National ACE
National ACE’s mission is to serve as a strong advocate of AAPI business interests and positive change on all issues that enhance and advance the goals and aspirations of AAPI business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. National ACE strives to do this through supporting and promoting issues that impact the AAPI business community, improving the economic development and economic impact of the AAPI community, advancing coalitions and enhancing community building, and fostering the next generation of AAPI entrepreneurs and executives. National ACE provides a unified voice for the business interests of AAPIs nationally. Learn more at www.nationalace.org or www.aapistrong.com.
About International Leadership Foundation (ILF)
The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes the civic awareness, public service, and economic effectiveness of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Our mission is to develop young leaders in the United States, Asia, and other Pacific Rim countries in the fields of public service, entrepreneurship, and international business and politics through a network of business and community leaders. https://www.ilfnational.org/
About Vietnamese Business & Investment (VBI) Global
VBI Global is a global organization of Vietnamese business leaders who invest, dedicate and create many opportunities for everyone. The professional cooperation with Vietnamese cultural identity is systematic, structured and brings many good experiences to promote outstanding development, improve quality of life and raise prestige for the community and Vietnamese people around the world. https://vbiglobal.org/
Press Contact:
Janet Alikpala
jalikpala@nationalace.org
312-217-4369