Abstract Jefferson Li’s family owns and runs the New York Chinatown butcher shop 47 Division Street Trading Inc. Like many Chinatown businesses, his family business took a huge economic hit due to the pandemic. Li took to the popular social news aggregator website Reddit to try and drum up business by publicizing their low prices to New Yorkers who wouldn’t normally be their primary demographic, becoming a pseudo celebrity in the process. As someone who has been in the Chinatown community prior to...

Abstract The Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce is an organization that educates and supports Asian American businesses in part of central Austin. In this interview, Marina Bhargava, the CEO of the organization, relates her personal outlooks on the Asian business and entrepreneurial scenes in Austin before and during the pandemic. According to Marina, Austin is a bustling entrepreneurial hub that has drawn many large corporations, which also attracted a growing population of Asian Americans that...

Abstract Robert Lee is the CEO of Pearlstone Partners, a real estate development firm based in Austin, Texas, as well as the former Chairman of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce. Through his leadership of the Chamber of Commerce, Lee not only fostered a vibrant business community for the burgeoning population of Asians Americans, but also emphasized the importance of broad Asian representation in order to strengthen intersectional community involvement. On a personal level, Lee believes in...