Wednesday, October 25, 2017
60 Washington Square S, New York, NY 10012

For four decades, AAFE has made contributions to advance the needs of low-moderate-income New Yorkers, starting with Asian Americans struggling to access resources and build assets. For the last ten years, AAFE has created the Annual Asian American Community Development Conference (AACDC) as an essential space for our community to collaborate, share knowledge, and build effective relationships.

As the first decade of the conference comes to a close, doors have opened to new opportunities, audiences, technologies, and a rising generation of leaders seeking to activate the community in new ways.

But at the same time, the goal of achieving equality for all is even more pertinent as immigrants, communities of color, low-moderate residents, small businesses, and even our democracy face threats to progress and positive impact.

In light of this, AAFE will share insights on convening power and community leadership. Through this year’s theme, the community is invited to reflect on our path toward equality and to share successes, best practices, and strategies for the future. The conference floor will also be given to key community leaders. And Equality Fund — AAFE’s philanthropy and volunteerism program — will formally announce its mission to organize the next generation of philanthropy in support of equitable neighborhoods.

AACDC will open with the morning plenary theme: Ensuring Equitable Access to Meet the Most Basic Needs. The luncheon plenary theme will be: Leading with Equality at the Forefront.

Panel discussions and workshops will include: The Powerful Role of Private Dollars in Achieving Equality, Building Resiliency: An Essential Ingredient for Equitable Community Development, Community Leadership Across Sectors and Issues, Case Studies for Community-owned Affordable Housing Projects, Immigrant Economic Development for Today’s Workplace, Our Health is Our Wealth, and Embracing Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts: Local Impact Investing in Real Estate.