Lei Ann’s Story
Photo Credit: Justin Taylor Images
Lei Ann Shiramizu and Tom Kleifgeon, Momo
Seattle, WA
There has been widespread concern about the economic impact of the coronavirus, many fear Asian businesses will be particularly hard hit.
Lei Ann Shiramizu, one of two owners of Momo Seattle, said although the shop has fiercely loyal customers, people are “definitely steering clear of anything associated with Asians.”
In fact, the uptick in anti-Asian bias has been so strong that the National Science Foundation has awarded a team of researchers a grant to study the pattern of discrimination during the outbreak.