“Helping Immigrant- and Minority-Owned Small Businesses in Queens’ Hardest-Hit Neighborhoods Recover from the Pandemic"
A Center for an Urban Future Virtual Policy Symposium

Replay of the event

The diverse neighborhoods of central Queens—including Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Corona—have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, facing high rates of infection and sweeping job losses. This has intensified the blow to the immigrant- and minority-owned small businesses that anchor these communities, driving many to the brink of insolvency as revenues plummet and customers stay home. And while government relief programs have helped some Queens businesses to weather the storm, many immigrant- and minority-owned businesses have struggled to access these programs, posing additional barriers to economic recovery.

This solutions-focused discussion explored the ongoing challenges affecting small businesses in these hard-hit communities and put forward specific ideas to support a lasting recovery. The last in a three-part virtual forum series, the live-streamed discussion examined what city and state policymakers, community and business leaders, and business owners and consumers can do to bolster the businesses that form the backbone of Queens’ local economy.

Speakers included:

• Senator Charles E. Schumer, United States Senate
• Congresswoman Grace Meng, United States House of Representatives
• Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, New York State Assembly
• Councilmember Francisco Moya, New York City Council
• Quenia Abreu, President & CEO, New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce
• Nancy Carin, Executive Director, Business Outreach Center Network
• Joyce Moy, Executive Director, CUNY’s Asian American/Asian Research Institute
• Alejandro Osorio, Owner, Arepa Lady
• Marie Pedraza, Vice President, Sr. Regional Community Development Manager, HSBC
• Lily Urzúa, Founder, Urzúa Dance Academy

A video of the full discussion is available here.

This symposium is made possible through generous support from HSBC. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation and the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.

This was CUF’s third virtual forum exploring how to support immigrant and minority-owned businesses recover. It follows our July 24th symposium, “Helping Brooklyn's Immigrant- and Minority-Owned Businesses Rebound from the Pandemic,” and our May 28th symposium, "Bolstering Immigrant and Minority-Owned Small Businesses Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.”