Asian Services In Action Honors Community Partners

By Ray Hom

Asian Services in Action (ASIA) celebrated its 25th +1 anniversary on Friday, Oct. 14 during the return of their annual gala by recognizing key community partners, including the Akron Fire Department, Cleveland Department of Public Health, Huntington Bank, and its own staff.

ASIA is a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive direct services across Akron and Cleveland to new immigrants and refugees. After a 2-year hiatus from gathering together due to the pandemic, 250 guests attended the highly anticipated anniversary celebration. The gala raised funds for upcoming expansions of programs and honored the service and support that community partners have contributed to ASIA’s client base throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland and Chief of Staff/Deputy Mayor of Administration Gert Wilms of Akron gave opening remarks to promote their respective cities’ commitment to diversity, inclusion, and welcome for the refugee and immigrant community.

Lt. Thomas Whatley of Akron FD

The Akron Fire Department (AFD) was awarded the Community Impact Superhero for hosting fire safety classes and installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with ASIA for the Nepali, Ka’Ren, and Congolese communities in North Hill after a tragic house fire in Akron killed a Nepalese-speaking family of five. Lieutenant Thomas Whatley accepted the award on behalf of AFD.

The Cleveland Department of Public Health was awarded the Community Health Superhero for

their partnership in ASIA’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts. They consistently supplied ASIA with COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses to vaccinate the Limited-English-Proficient community in Cleveland during pop-up events throughout the pandemic, including a Mother’s Day and a Voter Registration Day pop-up. Thomas Doot accepted the award on its behalf.

Huntington Bank was awarded the Community Defender Award for assisting ASIA in securing a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan that was crucial to ASIA staying open during the pandemic when clients and patients were not leaving their homes to receive services. The PPP loan kept ASIA’s doors open and staff on payroll so that they could continue to provide services to clients during the pandemic and beyond. Jennifer Oberg accepted the award on Huntington’s behalf.

Mayor Justin Bibb and Elaine Tso, CEO ASIA

“We are so honored that so many special guests came out to support our 25th +1 Anniversary,” said Elaine Tso, CEO of ASIA. “We could not do what we do without this support from funders and community partners as well as the commitment of our ASIA team members.”

The money raised at the Gala will go toward the expansion of the International Community Health Center, social service programs, and more. ASIA annually serves tens of thousands of clients and patients in Northeast Ohio.

To learn more about ASIA’s services and programs, visit www.asiaohio.org.

ASIA is the largest health and human services agency serving the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community of Northeast Ohio. ASIA serves, supports, and advocates for AAPI, immigrants, and refugees so that they prosper and flourish.

The Roaming Biscuit’s Bake Shop and Café

By Ray Hom

As part of our mission, The Cleveland Observer seeks to uplift and support minority-owned businesses in or near Cleveland, Ohio.

I recently made plans with a neighborhood friend to meet for coffee and chat about a community project. He recommended meeting at The Bake Shop and Café at Tyler Village. To my surprise, I was introduced to this hidden gem at Tyler Village located at Superior and 36^th Street. If you haven’t been, you need to stop in for breakfast and/or lunch or just meet up for coffee and pastries.

Upon entering the café, we were greeted with a smile and very friendly service by a person who just happened to be the café owner, Shawnda Moye. Her personality was infectious so I wanted to learn more about Shawnda and her Café. I had the opportunity to sit down with her and hear about her journey in opening the Café and running a small business in these challenging times.

History & Passion for Biscuits

Shawnda’s passion for baking started as a child when her mom taught her how to make peach cobbler. This included using fresh ingredients like fresh peaches and making the crust from scratch. She started making desserts all the time as a child in elementary school. She would always bake goods and ship her goodies to family and friends. Her baking continued throughout life when she decided to perfect her trade and worked at bakeries and cafes to learn the technique and trade secrets further.

She started her career in Sales and Ops Management after school, but she knew she always wanted to open a bakery and café. Shawnda grew up in Cincinnati, went to school in Tallahassee, FL, and lived in various places in the South. While living in the South, she noticed there were always great places to go for biscuits and biscuit sandwiches.

In 2015, she decided to move to Cleveland to work for a caterer and other restaurants to build a clientele for baked goods. She soon realized that homemade fresh breakfast sandwiches were hard to find in Cleveland, especially biscuit sandwiches. In 2019, Shawnda decided to start her business by doing pop-ups around town. Her new business, The Roaming Biscuit, started attracting a following with the pop-ups. She had to quickly get creative with the newfound popularity and used ghost kitchens and other partners to prep The Roaming Biscuit.

During the middle of the pandemic in June 2021, she found a café space that was available in Tyler Village. The space had everything she needed to open her business. The timing was perfect and she found a home with all the kitchen equipment in place and a perfect space with seating. She finally found a permanent home for her biscuits!

More importantly, there were no other breakfast sandwich locations in the neighborhood, so it was a perfect location to open The Bake Shop and Café.

Running a Small Business

Opening during the pandemic and staying open beyond challenges locally owned small and medium-sized businesses. Shawnda has survived the tough times and continues growing her business. I asked her what motivates and drives her success in today’s challenging times with the shortages in the workforce.

Shawnda does what she does because she’s passionate about preparing food for customers and seeing her customers’ complete satisfaction with her food and service. When that happens, she enjoys that ultimate feeling of success. Be it one person or the entire day, she leaves satisfied knowing that she has accomplished her mission. Food brings people together, and her goal is to have fun at the Café while providing great food for customers. That’s what happened to me on my first visit to the Café!

This may sound easy, but during these challenging times hiring, keeping, and motivating a talented team in the F&B industry is difficult. Shawnda feels it’s so important to ensure that you allow your team to use their creativity with menu items and trust that their creativity will be a hit on the menu. This creates a boost of confidence for each team member. As customers, it’s essential to provide feedback because when the feedback is positive, it creates confidence in the creativity.

Shawnda’s advice for running a business is to always keep pushing ahead with a positive attitude. If you put the hard work in, it will eventually pay off. Always focus on your customer service in order to be successful because returning customers are vital to your success. Finally, don’t try to be too trendy in your offering and stick to what you do best in your environment.

Supporting the Community

As a Black Woman Owned business, Shawnda tries to use her platform to showcase other businesses owned by women and people of color. She feels it is important to support others like her. She uses a network to get the word out and bring awareness to others.

In the Café, there is a wall of locally owned businesses that she shares with customers. She is able to promote other women-owned and/or black-owned businesses in the community. In addition, she seeks out vendors and partners to work within her networks such as Saucisson, a butcher shop, and The Home Pantry, both women-owned businesses. She also works with Adun Spices, a Black woman-owned business.

Shawnda feels it’s important to support these businesses which is why I feel it is important to highlight The Bake Shop and Café as we have a shared mission of uplifting and supporting minority-owned businesses.

About The Bake Shop and Cafe

The Bake Shop and Café uses all homemade ingredients serving delicious full Roaming Biscuit breakfast and lunch items, coffee, and a rotating menu of amazing pastries and desserts!

Specialties include all breakfast biscuits and biscuit sandwiches, the Curry Chicken on Naan, and homemade pastries and desserts.

Located in Tyler Village, 3615 Superior Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114.

(216) 452-6035

https://theroamingbiscuit.com/

Open daily 7am-2 pm, Closed on Weekends.

Available for dine-in or takeout, catering, and pop-up events.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Shawnda and mention you read about her in The Cleveland Observer!

People’s Street Cleveland on the Move Again

By Ray Hom

People’s Street Cleveland volunteers are on the move again, literally! As part of the People’s Street initiative, volunteers painted bicycle lanes in both directions on the Payne St overpass above I-90 which connects downtown and AsiaTown.

In addition to painting the bicycle lanes, volunteers erected “wave delineators” to create a safer street for bicyclists. Volunteers had the assistance of Stella, a robotic painting truck by Roadprintz, to paint the green surfaces along with street symbols.

This initiative follows the recent crosswalk and curb extension installations along Payne Avenue between E. 22nd Street and E. 37th Street. The crosswalk design offers better protection for pedestrians and cyclists by calming traffic and elevating their visibility while also creating a cultural element for AsiaTown.

Both of these initiatives will be used to help inform about an upcoming resurfacing project along the corridor.

Experience the People’s Streets at our celebration coming this summer! Updates will be posted at www.asiatowncleveland.org/peoples-streets.

The People’s Street Cleveland initiative would not have been possible without the support of NOACA Street Supplies, SPIN Streets, MidTown Cleveland, CSU Campus District, Roadprintz, and the City of Cleveland. Special thanks to these organizations.

If your community is interested in learning more about how this was made possible, People’s Street volunteers will be co-hosting a Learning Lab on Wednesday, July 20th, from 3:30 – 5:30pm to share the lessons learned and toolkit. Meet at 2999 Payne Ave to attend a walking tour and a fireside chat to follow.

People’s Streets Cleveland is a grassroots initiative run by volunteers from varying backgrounds who came together to create streets that better serve people. We envision creating connections between diverse neighborhoods, safer streets for all ages and modes of travel, and welcoming places where people embrace their full humanity. Starting with the Payne Avenue corridor, we will reimagine a more vibrant streetscape.

Annual Cleveland Asian Festival – May 21 & 22, 2022

The month of May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year, the Cleveland Asian Festival is back in full force as part of the month-long celebration! Mark your calendars to celebrate the 2022 Cleveland Asian Festival on May 21 & 22, 11 am – 7 pm @ E. 27^th St & Payne Ave.

The annual festival offers free admission, free CSU parking with free shuttle bus rides to and from the festival, live entertainment, a unique local and beyond World Marketplace shopping experience, authentic Asian/Pacific Islander cuisine, free health screenings at the Health Pavilion inside Asia Plaza, free activities, free games and more.

Be sure to catch all the live entertainment throughout each day, including Asian and Asian-inspired cultural performances, martial art demonstrations, Colors of Asia Fashion Show, Asian-Pop dance competition, and a traditional Lion Dance as part of the festivities.

Free admission, free parking, free shuttle bus rides to/from the festival, and family-friendly fun for all! For details, please visit www.ClevelandAsianFestival.org.

The Cleveland Asian Festival (CAF) is a grassroots festival that highlights Cleveland’s AsiaTown, diversity, and Asian culture in Northeast Ohio. Organized by the community for the community to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage for the month of May.

If you would like to get involved by becoming a Sponsor, Vendor, Volunteer, or Perform, please click here: https://clevelandasianfestival.org/2022/get-involved/

Past accolades include:

Voted “Best Festival” – 2015 Cleveland Hot List!
Voted “Best New Ethnic Festival”— Best of Cleveland 2010, Cleveland Scene Magazine
Excellence in Neighborhood Marketing Award — Live Cleveland!
“CAF has achieved ‘must-attend status” – ClevelandPeople.com

ASIA Organizes Advocacy Day in Columbus, OH

ASIA organizes Advocacy Day in Columbus, OH to support an Office of AAPI Affairs and Inclusion of AAPI History in K-12 Education

Asian Services in Action (ASIA), a community based non-profit organization serving Asian, new immigrant, and refugee communities in Ohio, hosted an advocacy event at the Ohio Statehouse on April 5, 2022, to show support for a state Office of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affairs.

State Rep, Mary Lightbody and Elaine Tso

ASIA staff members, clients, community members, non-profit partners, and constituents traveled to Columbus to speak with elected officials about the importance of Ohio Senate Bill 87 and House Bill 224, which call for an AAPI Commission, and Senate Bill 214 which calls for AAPI history in K-12 education. The existence of such an office would advise Ohio’s state government on the affairs, concerns, and perspectives of its steadily increasing AAPI population. It would also provide equitable access to resources for AAPI communication, such as language translation for all state materials.

Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are often overlooked by local and state governments even though the number of voter-eligible AAPI individuals in Ohio has increased by over 39% since 2012 according to APIA Vote. Ohio currently has commissions for Hispanic affairs and African Immigrant affairs which have benefited their communities and guaranteed Spanish language translation of materials for the Hispanic population. Currently, the AAPI population of Ohio is larger than the new African immigrant population, which emphasizes the necessity and benefit of a commission on their behalf.

The rise of Anti-Asian hate crimes across the United States, including in Cleveland, OH, has also highlighted the urgent need for an Office of AAPI Affairs that would prioritize AAPI protection and equity. Within the first year of the pandemic alone, Cleveland’s Asian community experienced 41 anti-Asian hate crimes as reported by “Stop AAPI Hate.”

The AAPI constituents had the opportunity to meet with State Sen. Tina Maharath (D-Columbus), State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-35^th), and State Rep.Mary Lightbody who answered questions from the community and spoke about their sponsored bills of OH SB 87 and OH HB 224. A special thanks to these elected officials for their time. The AAPI community is encouraged by their passion and enthusiasm for #AAPI affairs and representation.

Rep Galonski Speaking in Atrium about HB 224

Speaking in support of an Office of AAPI Affairs, ASIA’s CEO, Elaine Tso, shared: “The Asian American Pacific Islander community in Ohio is more diverse than most people know. Our communities speak dozens of different languages and dialects. Language access is essential for the newly arrived Limited English Proficient (LEP) immigrant and refugee population. Ohio is also home to thousands of Marshallese community members with significant chronic health issues as a direct result of nuclear testing conducted by the U.S. on the Marshall Islands. An Office of AAPI Affairs would aim to provide equitable access to resources based on these varying needs.”

To support an Office for Asian American & Pacific Islander Affairs, contact Sen. Kristine Roegner (Chair of the Committee for Government Oversight and Reform) at roegner@ohiosenate.gov, Sen. Andrew Brenner (Chair of the Committee for Primary and Secondary Education) at brenner@ohiosenate.gov, and Senate President Matt Huffman at huffman@ohiosenate.gov.

#ProudToBeAsian

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month – Power and Influence in Future Elections

By Ray Hom

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month – Power and Influence in Future Elections

My focus this year to highlight AAPI Heritage Month is to share the potential power and influence the AAPI community has in future elections, including the midterm elections in November.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) electorate is a formidable community with the power to shape and influence elections down the ticket throughout the country. Though the AAPI electorate is projected to double from 5.9 million eligible voters in 2015 to 12.2 million eligible voters in 2040, the strength of AAPI voters in many states today has been and continues to make their voices heard and influence the political process. This is no different than in the state of Ohio and in our local and state elections.

In the last three presidential cycles, approximately 620,000 new AAPI voters entered the electorate, with eligible AAPI voters in various states making up more than 5% of the state’s electorate, including Nevada, Virginia, and California. It is increasingly clear that candidates and elected officials must understand our growing political power and address issues important to our communities.

Fastest Growing Population

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders remain the fastest growing populations in the United States, at a rate of 46% and 40%, respectively, between the years 2000 and 2010. This stands in comparison to a 10% population growth rate nationally. AAPI population growth partially stems from growing numbers of Asian immigrants, with more immigrants coming from Asia since 2008 than any other part of the world.

While the largest AAPI populations continue to be in states like New York, California, and Hawaii, states that have seen the fastest-growing populations of AAPIs in recent years include Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina. Nevada has seen a 140% increase in the AAPI population since 2000, 123% in Arizona, and a 115% increase in North Carolina.

Today, roughly one in four Congressional Districts has more than 5% AAPI residents, and AAPIs exceed 5% of the population in nearly 600 cities and municipalities.

Representation Matters

The decisions made by policymakers and our representatives at all levels of government impact our day-to-day lives. However, if AAPIs aren’t at the table or in positions where they can influence policy decisions, our needs and voices are often ignored or forgotten.

There has been tremendous growth in AAPI representation throughout government. There are now over 600 AAPI elected officials throughout government at all levels, according to the National Asian Pacific American Political Almanac (15th ed.). This includes positions in all branches of government, from legislative to judicial, local to federal. In the 2016 elections, there is an unprecedented number of AAPIs running for office across the country, including two AAPI women running for the U.S. Senate, and various new candidates for the House of Representatives.

AAPI voters are important because our voices in the political and policy discourse must reflect our priorities and needs—which may also be accomplished by electing more AAPIs to office.

Impactful Economic Strength

The growth of AAPI influence and power extends beyond the political sphere into all aspects of American society. For example, AAPIs are integral to the success of the American economy—Census data shows that the AAPI community contributes nearly $1.1 trillion to the economy every year, and AAPI-owned businesses employ 3.6 million Americans across the country.

AAPIs as business owners, consumers, and active members of America’s economy have an important role in shaping the future of our collective communities. The decisions made by today’s leaders must reflect the growing needs and roles of AAPIs in American society, beginning with appreciating the power of our votes.

APIAVote has been through many changes and grown significantly since its humble beginnings as part of OCA-PIA. For over 30 years, APIAVote has invested in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to build power through civic participation. Consequently, APIAVote helped them come out and vote in historic numbers in 2020 and 2021 which injected our voices into the national dialogue like never before. However, to harness the fullest potential of our collective power, there is so much work left to be done.

Now is the time to recommit to their vision where all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are engaged and empowered because our safety and security are under growing threat. Access to civic education in the languages that suit their needs ensures ALL Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are guaranteed their freedom to vote so we have access to good resources amidst an influx of disinformation and more.

A refreshed logo and new website reflect APIAVote’s commitment to meet the moment and growing needs of our communities. APIAVote is embracing its role as the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering AAPI communities to strengthen their voices and create impact. They are stepping up and expanding their size, reach, and power as an organization and are excited to have you be a part of it.

Much work is needed to establish the habit of voting in the millions of voters who came out in 2020 and again in 2021, especially during the upcoming midterm election in November.