RIVERSIDE — On a warm spring afternoon, local leaders, scholars, and community members gathered at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California to spotlight an often-overlooked reality: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities now make up one in every ten residents of the Inland Empire. Hosted by Karthick Ramakrishnan Executive Director & Founder of AAPI Data, the convening was both a celebration and a call to action, focusing on the findings of the new One in Ten: The State of AANHPIs in the Inland Empire report. 

The event featured a moving and detailed presentation by Clarielisa Ocampo, a Ph.D. student and AAPI Graduate Student Researcher at the University of California Riverside. Ocampo walked attendees through the historical contributions, ongoing struggles, and urgent needs of AAPI communities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, drawing clear connections between past injustices and current disparities.

Inland Empire’s AAPI population — which includes large communities of Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, and Pacific Islander residents — has skyrocketed over the past two decades. As the report details, from 2000 to 2020, the Asian American population in Riverside County grew by over 200%, with Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders not far behind​. 

Despite their size and contributions to industries such as healthcare, logistics, and small business, AAPIs remain drastically underrepresented in political leadership, economic planning, and health services. “When we talk about economic mobility,we need to be clear, multi-generational income may boost household income in numbers but it often masks economic precarity” Ocampo noted, highlighting data showing the high homeownership rates among AAPIs — yet also exposing economic instability masked by multi-generational living and low-wage jobs​.

Following the forum, participants joined a walking tour to the Harada House, a National Historic Landmark symbolizing Japanese American resilience against racist property laws and internment during World War II. Standing in front of the historic home, the legacy of AAPI struggles became visceral, reminding attendees that the fight for inclusion and equity continues into the present day.

The “One in Ten” report also outlines serious challenges: growing mental health needs, environmental health risks due to warehousing industries, and a persistent lack of culturally aligned services​. In particular, while many AAPI-serving nonprofits are “tiny but mighty” providing critical community services while grappling with major funding shortfalls they are filling a major void and responding to ever evolving needs of the community. 

One recommendation from the report is the creation of a dedicated AAPI Community Fund for the Inland Empire, similar to existing funds for Black and Latinx communities. This call aligns with the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s upcoming announcement of the AANHPI Fund, scheduled to launch later in May, which aims to provide sustainable support for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander led initiatives across the region (source). The report also urges strengthening political pipelines, expanding nonprofit capacity, and fostering partnerships across sectors — including with labor unions and research centers like UC Riverside’s Inland Empire Labor and Community Center.

Reflecting on the afternoon’s significance, Ramakrishnan stressed, “Visibility is the first step. The next is action. Investment. Power-building.” Indeed, the event’s energy reflected a shared belief that the Inland Empire’s future must include and uplift its vibrant AAPI communities — not just acknowledge them when crisis strikes.

By grounding today’s issues in a deep historical context — from the burning of Riverside’s Chinatown in 1885 to the essential roles AAPI workers play in modern industries — the “One in Ten” report and event left attendees inspired and determined. As Ocampo so eloquently summarized, “Our history is American history. Our future must be part of the Inland Empire’s future too.”

As the Inland Empire continues to grow and evolve, events like this — and the critical research behind them — serve as urgent reminders that equity, inclusion, and acknowledgment must be more than buzzwords; they must be the foundation for the region’s next chapter.

One in Ten: The State of AANHPIs in the Inland Empire report. 

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Fund
(AANHPI Fund)