Latest news with #AsianPacificAmerican
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The MAG to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The Memorial Art Gallery will host its annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration Day as a part of its ongoing celebration series on Sunday. Admission is free for the event and it'll run from noon until 5 p.m. The celebration will have music, culture, community, and art. Visitors of all ages will get to enjoy a lineup of performances, presentations, hands-on art activities, and cultural experiences that celebrate and highlight Asian Pacific American heritage. Celebration Series is sponsored by the MAG Council, with additional support from the Robert and Madeleine S. Heilbrunn Memorial Fund. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three congressional caucus chairs on economy, health care cuts, future of Dems and more
José Díaz-Balart sat down with three congressional caucus chairs, chair of the Asian Pacific American caucus Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), chair of the Hispanic caucus Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and chair of the Black caucus Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) to discuss the state of the U.S. economy, the future of the Democratic Party, and more.
Axios
28-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Economic equity in the Bay Area could take a hit with Trump gutting MBDA
Thousands of businesses across the U.S. may lose a crucial lifeline as the Trump administration looks to gut the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The big picture: President Nixon established MBDA in 1969 to drive economic equity and address the racial wealth gap in America. The agency serves minority business enterprises, which are defined as firms owned by economically or socially disadvantaged individuals. Its mission is to help expand financing opportunities, remove systemic barriers to capital and assist in financial planning. MBDA was codified under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021 in an attempt to preempt a president from eliminating it. Friction point: Trump's March 14 executive order directed MBDA, among other government entities, to "reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law." The move is meant to eliminate parts of the "federal bureaucracy" Trump deems "unnecessary." The latest: It quickly drew outcry from the Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific American congressional caucuses. "This administration's efforts to take our country back in time and remove critical tools of economic success for minority populations will hinder the potential economic growth of every community in this nation," the Black caucus wrote in a letter Wednesday to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Zoom in: One of MBDA's greatest areas of impact comes from its business centers, which are staffed with experts and located in areas with large concentrations of minority populations and businesses. California is home to three, including one in San José that serves the greater Bay Area. Together, they assisted almost 6,800 businesses, helped create and/or retain over 5,200 jobs and generated more than $819 million in value of contracts from 2021 to 2024. The potential shutdown of these centers has raised an alarm bell for local businesses that relied on their services. What they're saying: Michael Tejada, who runs the Spanish immersion child care business Mi Second Casa in San Mateo, called Trump's order "foolish." "As a former state auditor, I understand the desire to increase government efficiency and decrease wasteful spending, but the MBDA is a worthwhile investment into business owners that create jobs and goods/services that are in need," Tejada told Axios. Mi Second Casa reached out in 2022 to MBDA's San José business center, operated by ASIAN Inc., to seek help planning their expansion and covering some operating expenses. "[W]ithout their help, we would have not been able to open a second location and create additional childcare spaces that are in desperate need within our community." Anita Chan, owner of the San Francisco-based wellness center Anita B Spa, told Axios via email that gutting MBDA will "only further the systemic prejudices and restrict opportunities for many capable, hardworking, and ambitious entrepreneurs." MBDA's operations have allowed minority groups to access assistance and capital they were excluded from for centuries, Chan noted. The San José center helped her secure funding with a Small Business Administration loan to purchase a commercial building and facilitated town halls where she could share specific concerns with local officials. "We must do all we can to save organizations like MBDA so that the following generations no longer need to have this conversation again." What we're hearing: MBDA placed most of its federal employees on administrative leave last Friday, according to three sources familiar with the situation who asked to remain anonymous, citing fears of retaliation. There has been no communication about what to expect or how Trump's order will impact business centers and grants that have already been awarded, they told Axios. Despite MBDA's mission to serve all socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, not just people of color, there is prevailing sentiment that Trump targeted the agency largely because its name contains "minority."
Axios
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Arizona universities rename graduation events honoring diverse student groups
Arizona State University and University of Arizona are renaming their annual graduation ceremonies that honor diverse student groups, Axios has learned. The big picture: Many higher education institutions nationwide are trying to thread the needle of complying with President Trump's orders on eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs — accompanied by threats of ending federal funding — without burdening students or offending faculty, alumni and donors. ASU and UofA declined to say why they made the name changes — and the event programs themselves don't appear to have modified. On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to higher education institutions demanding they remove race-based programming or face federal funding cuts. The letter specifically called out "segregation by race at graduation ceremonies." The ASU website makes a point of explaining that "celebrations" are "open to all students." Driving the news: The ceremonies were recently renamed from "convocations" to "celebrations" on the universities' websites. ASU's Hispanic, international student, rainbow, Asian/Asian Pacific American, Black African and American Indian graduation events were all called convocations on December's fall 2024 graduation schedule. Now, they are listed as celebrations. UofA's 2025 Adalberto and Ana Guerrero Student Center graduation celebration was called a convocation on the university's website as recently as Feb. 21, per the Wayback Machine web archive. It's now dubbed a " celebration and awards ceremony." How it works: Special interest graduation ceremonies are longstanding traditions for many universities. They often feature performers or speakers from the racial, ethnic or gender groups being honored. Reality check: Though celebrations may sound less official, it appears they will function similarly to convocations, per online event descriptions. "There are, and will continue to be, celebrations held by and for various student groups." ASU spokesperson Jerry Gonzalez told Axios in a statement. UofA spokesperson Mitch Zak did not answer specific questions but said: "The university is taking a measured approach toward ensuring compliance with new policies and procedures." The other side: Maricopa Community Colleges canceled all convocation ceremonies that celebrate "diverse communities and special interest groups," chancellor Steven Gonzales said in an email to employees this week. Zoom in: The community college district has taken more significant steps to comply with the Department of Education's guidance than the state's universities so far. Gonzalez said employees must remove pronouns from their email signatures, can no longer use district money to attend conferences that "focus on DEI activities," and must cease employee support groups "focused on race, identity or national origin." Maricopa Community Colleges' Disability Advisory Council will be disbanded, employees in DEI-related positions will be reassigned and website language related to DEI initiatives will be modified, Gonzalez said. What they're saying:"The changes made were entirely driven by the compliance requirements set forth by the federal government. Failure to comply could jeopardize federal funding, including our ability to accept financial aid," the district said in a statement to Axios. Meanwhile, ASU, UofA and NAU have not revealed major policy changes in response to the DEI guidance. UofA deleted its webpage for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and tweaked its online Indigenous land acknowledgement, the Arizona Republic reported. ASU's Gonzalez told us the university is "reviewing executive orders as they are issued to assess their possible impacts." NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ann Ott said the university "continues to evaluate federal actions and where they might affect university operations in order to determine next steps." What we're watching: University budgets rely on significant federal funding. If Trump follows through on his threats to withhold that money from noncompliant schools, Arizona's colleges may be forced to make tough decisions.
