Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, employing nearly half of the private sector workforce, and they are accountable for 44% of all U.S. economic activity. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected minority-owned small businesses because they are likely to be concentrated in industries most immediately devastated by the pandemic like accommodation, food services, personal and laundry services, and retail. Moreover, minority-owned small businesses tend to face underlying issues that make it harder to run a profitable business including a limited line of credit, lack of banking relationships, and low cash reserves. According to the Census Current Population Survey, the number of active businesses owned by African-Americans has dropped by 41%, Latinx by 32%, Asians by 25%, and immigrants by 36%. Sacramento is ranked 12th nationwide for the most businesses facing dire problems due to the pandemic and the second worst-hit metro in California. It is estimated more than 33% or 1500 businesses in the Sacramento area have temporarily or permanently closed in recent months. I photographed and interviewed two dozens minority-owned small businesses devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and mandated lockdowns. Most of them are located in underserved neighborhoods of Sacramento including Oak Park, Stockton Blvd., South Sacramento, Broadway, Del Paso, and North Sacramento that have been long established and play an important role in their community. The purpose of this project is to convey many challenges and hardships that minority-owned small businesses are facing during the pandemic, to provide a platform for minority-owned small businesses to voice their concerns, to highlight their contribution to the community, and to better understand how to provide support to minority-owned small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans are the fastest-growing group of the nation’s eligible voters, which has more than doubled in the last two decades. 6 out of 10 API Americans in the U.S. were able to vote in the 2020 presidential election. I wanted to photograph Asian and Pacific Islanders American voters from different ethnicities, social and economic backgrounds, and age groups. I aimed to highlight the importance of Asian & Pacific Islander Americans’ participation in the democratic process and to address some of the concerns they are facing in the country.

Graduation would normally be filled with excitement and bitter-sweet goodbyes and signaled a fresh start into the next phase of life. But with most of the social events and the graduation ceremony canceled, the graduating class of 2020 did not get to experience the final and memorable moments in the closing chapter and the recognition of an important milestone achieved. I wanted to photograph recent graduates wearing their cap and gown in front of a backdrop serving as a stage and surrounded by their close friends and family members.

The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event. Across the globe, we are facing the same threat and uncertainties and undergoing a collective experience that forced us to alter many aspects of how we live, work, learn, and interact with one another. Using visuals and personal testimonies, this project aims to convey how individuals and families have coped to new sets of challenges and adapted to the new norms one month into the Shelter in Place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Taped Off" is a series of photographs of deserted playgrounds in suburbs taken during the shelter in place lockdown in Sacramento. While still adhering to the shelter in place protocol, I visited over 60 playgrounds near my home. Photographed at times where families, children, and residents in the community would normally come to gather and play, these popular playgrounds were left empty while a thin yellow tape served as a barrier and a caution of an invisible threat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even a playground often associated with fun and innocence has been replaced by concern and fear.