Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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Editor’s note: As he does every August, Brian Greenspun is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. This year, thanks to robust response to the Sun’s invitations to guest writers, we’re continuing to publish their columns this month. Today’s guest is Sonny Vinuya, president of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Asian American Pacific Islanders, specifically Chinese, first moved to Nevada back in the late 1800s to work on ditches in the Great Basin.
That is the first known AAPI immigration here in our state. Fast-forward to the 1980s, and a Chinese businessman had the vision to create Chinatown near the Las Vegas Strip in hopes that it would help attract even more tourists here in the valley. Chinatown was born, and the AAPI migration to Southern Nevada exploded.
Today, Nevada is one of the few states where AAPI is the second-largest minority population. AAPI is currently 11% of the state’s population, probably a higher number after the next census count is completed.
AAPI is one of the most diverse ethnicities. There are so many different countries and islands that fall under its designation, covering a rich array of religions, languages and beliefs. Filipinos have the biggest population, with Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians and Koreans rounding up the top five.
Hawaiians consider Nevada their ninth island. We are represented in diverse industries, from small business, medical, hospitality, law and education to name a few.
AAPI students do quite well in our schools, as shown in such metrics as standardized test results and graduation rates.
The number of Asian-owned businesses has grown to more than 21,000, per the department of business and industry. There are over 300 just in the Spring Mountain corridor from Chinatown to Rainbow Boulevard. They employ our residents and contribute state revenue by paying their fees and taxes.
Our spending power is highly sought by major companies, as AAPI love to spend — especially buying homes and cars. The past few years AAPI have also become one of the solutions for Nevada’s shortage in nurses and special education teachers. More than 10% of nurses in the state are AAPI, and over the last three years over 300 have been recruited for special education roles in the Clark County School District.
As for culture, there are AAPI radio stations and shows. There are several AAPI local news and pop culture publications, and of course we have many different restaurants and eateries. Little factoid: Chinatown is truly more “AAPI town,” as many ethnicities are represented in that area.
What does this all mean? We are great contributors to our community.
We help in all phases of our society, we create jobs, we help with the state’s revenue and we provide needed workforce for some of our vital components in the community.
During this pandemic, AAPI is one of the hardest affected in terms of infection rate. The main reason for that is the number of AAPI in the medical field serving as doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, certified nursing assistants and more.
AAPI is well represented in all of these areas, thus increasing their chances of getting COVID. My family is a great example: My wife is a nurse, my son works in rehabilitation physical therapy, my son’s fiancée is employed in a medical office, and my brother is a physician. AAPI are true front-liners to this pandemic.
AAPI businesses, like most of us here in Nevada, also have been affected by the pandemic.
Restaurants, retail, personal care and anything tourism-related have been truly hurt. They have the same challenges as other businesses. A lot of them were able to get help through the PPP loans and other programs.
As I speak to business owners, though, I am so amazed with their resiliency. They are in it for the long haul and the main reason, besides their life’s work, is that they feel responsible to make sure their employees are taken care of.
The percentage of AAPI who are immigrants here in Nevada are the majority of the AAPI population. Their love and appreciation for our country is so evident. They are the most loyal and grateful people I have met. They are hard workers that just want to be good citizens and contribute to Nevada’s success.
