The Official Web Site of the State of South Carolina

South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs

Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs Division

About the Asian American Affairs Division

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs was created in 1993 by the General Assembly to provide the citizens of the State with a single point of contact for information regarding the State’s minority population.

Per South Carolina State Law, Chapter 31 SECTION 1-31-40, "the Commission shall provide the minority community consisting of African Americans, Native American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and others with a single point of contact for statistical and technical assistance in the areas of research and planning for a greater economic future;" and "seek federal and other funding on behalf of the State of South Carolina for the express purpose of implementing various programs and services for African Americans, Native American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and other minority groups;"

Filipino Family | Picture credit: Pexels Hawaiian Hula Dancers | Picture Credit: Pexels

SCCMA AAPI Youth Conference

SCCMA to Host AA/PI Civic Engagement Youth Conference

In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs will host its inaugural Civic Engagement Conference for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth on Friday, May 21 at 9 a.m.

The virtual, free conference will feature sessions on civic engagement, networking and AA/PI culture and identity. Jimmy Chao, President and Chief Engineer with Chao and Associates, Inc., will deliver the keynote address.

The conference is open to Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander youth between the ages of 16 and 20. Students who are looking for opportunities to build their skills in leadership and become civically engaged on the local, state or national level are encouraged to attend.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/32dTVGR.

For more information, contact Raphael Ofendo Reyes, Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs Program Assistant at 803-333-9621 or email rofendoreyes@cma.sc.gov.

COVID-19 Resources

Graphic of COVID-19

For the latest information on COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please visit the links below.

Reimagine Main Street Initiative

The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) SCCMA conducted a survey to learn more about how COVID-19 is affecting AAPI business owners. National ACE has free consulting for AAPI business owners in need due to COVID-19. View the link to the survey, and National ACE's free business consulting below.

Survey Briefing | Survey Results

National ACE free business consulting: https://www.acesmallbusiness.org/

The Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship's Reimagine Main Street initiative is conducting a survey to better understand the perceptions of small business owners on vaccines for COVID-19. Click the link to participate in this quick survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JVNLB8B.