Asian Americans in Charlotte are increasingly concerned about violence and hate crimes, especially after Tuesday night's shootings around Atlanta, just four hours south of here.

Sean Kim, owner of Uptown's MOA restaurant, says his Korean parents live in Atlanta. They're in their 70s and 80s and like to walk and exercise outside in their neighborhood. But lately?

• "We're telling them to stay home," Sean told Axios' Emma Way.

Why it matters: Anti-Asian hate incidents have been building since COVID-19 landed in the U.S. last year.

• The national nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate documented nearly 3,800 incidents of discrimination and hate from March 2020 to February 28, 2021.

The state of play: North Carolina's Asian population was the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the state in 2018, and more than half of that growth is in urban counties, a N.C. demography report shows.

• About 6.5% of Charlotte's population — or nearly 60,000 people — is Asian, recent census data show.
• Last month, we put in a request with CMPD for statistics on hate crimes locally but haven't received the numbers yet.

You can support the local communities by doing everything from backing Asian-owned businesses to reporting hate crimes.

• "How to support Charlotte's Asian communities is the same as how to support any community," Qian Zhang, co-owner of the Dumpling Lady, told us. "Be a respectful person and an asset to the community, no matter who you are dealing with."

Here are a few ways to spend money at Asian-owned business:

• Dining: Dumpling Lady, Choi's Korea & Wing, Lang Van, MOA, Baoding, Gyu-Kaku, Curry Gate, PePeRo, Wu-Rons, and lots more.
• Shopping: Society Social, Super G Mart, The Cactus Club, Mimosas Nail Bar.

Read our full story for more options for dining, shopping and other ways to show support

Social media — specifically hyperlocal social media — has become a powerful tool for people hoping to find a COVID vaccine appointment.

Driving the news (as usual): WSOC’s Joe Bruno might single-handedly lead more people to vaccines than any other outlet or marketing team in the region. He's been Paul Revere-ing extra vaccines on his popular Twitter feed for the past week or so, like this from yesterday:

• "If you are reading this tweet right now on I-85 near Gastonia, you might have a shot at getting a J&J dose at Eastridge Mall."

Why it matters: Bruno and some new vaccine-hunting Facebook groups are hitting the refresh button on appointment pages so you don't have to.

• "People just don’t have time to constantly be checking websites looking for an open slot,” Bruno told our Paige Hopkins. "I have plenty of time; all I do is work."

Other hunters: The Facebook group NC/SC Vaccine Hunters has more than 5,200 members. Members share mass vaccination events, rural counties with open appointments, and strategies for the best time of day to look for a leftover dose.

What to watch: While the groups have been helpful, they'll go away when the vaccine is more widely available.

• "I'm hoping to be put out of business in a couple months," says Jessica Walters, a former nurse who founded NC/SC Vaccine Hunters.

Read Paige's full story

Plus: Here's her two-minute guide to vaccines and FAQs.

💼 Time to flex your skills and experience.

1. Account Manager at TRC Staffing.
2. Web/Graphic Designer at Moonlight Creative.
3. Social Media/Digital Marketing Director at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
4. Program Manager at Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte.
5. Production/Packaging Team Member at Sycamore Brewing.
6. Front of House at EZL Group.
7. Transaction Coordinator at Savvy + Co Real Estate.

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London-based electric car manufacturer Arrival will build a microfactory out near the airport, bringing 250 new jobs to Charlotte in exchange for more than $1.5 million in incentives, Axios's Katie Peralta Soloff reports.

• Arrival says it will be able to produce up to 10,000 zero-emission delivery vans a year, many of which will be used by UPS.

Be smart: Arrival announced last fall that it's opening a North American headquarters in South End.

More on Arrival's latest plans

Charlotte was the 32nd most congested city in the U.S. last year, says the new INRIX 2020 Global Traffic Scorecard.

Why it matters: Hey, not bad for the 15th largest city.

By the numbers: The average Charlottean lost 18 hours of their life in traffic last year, way down from 49 in 2019. Naturally, traffic across the world was down significantly in 2020.

Spring starts Saturday. A few picks from Axios' Symphony Webber's list of 18 things to do this weekend:

🗣 SlamCharlotte's poetry slam at Spirit Square, 8pm Friday. Details.

⚾️ Baseball! In person! The Knights are welcoming fans back to Truist Field on Saturday for a college game between UNC Charlotte and College of Charleston. 1pm. $10. Details.

• Related: For $99, the Knights' esteemed mascot Homer The Dragon will come to your door with mascot royalty the Easter Bunny to deliver an Easter basket later this month. Details.

💃 Dance to poems virtually with the Sarah Council Dance Project. It's geared toward kids and families. 10-11am Saturday. Free. Details.

Even though EchoPark’s cars are technically used, they *feel* new because they are all only 1-4 years old. They’ve got a wide variety of top car brands, from BMW and Audi to Ford and Jeep. Plus, you can expect prices up to 40% less than buying new.

Check out what’s on the lot right now.

Pinky's Westside Grill's specialty burger this month is the "March Madness," made with curry mayo, spinach, bacon jam and flamin' hot Cheeto-encrusted onion straws.

• Why it matters: This is what happens when North Carolinians have to wait two years between NCAA tournaments.

🌀 News you can use from our super cool, very important Axios Charlotte partners.

• If you're obsessed with luxury watches, it's time to hit up ECJ Luxe Boutique inside Diamonds Direct SouthPark. They offer a variety of high-end watch brands, including Zenith, Blancpain and Hublot. Shop the showroom or browse online.
• This weekend, the Bojangles Entertainment Complex, a Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority managed venue, is hosting the WNIT tournament. The BOplex will be keeping fans safe through enhanced cleaning protocols and its recent GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation, the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation.

Jinna Kim is an inventor at Bank of America who helped drive a record-breaking year for innovation in the company in 2020.

Background: Kim was born in Korea and immigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1984 when she was three. She worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York before earning her MBA and moving to Charlotte in 2011.

What she’s made: One of her 17 patents is an artificial intelligence system that helps client service reps gather customer information to guide them toward financial goals.

• During big purchase holidays, she works behind the scenes to make sure customers don't get defrauded, but also that they don't get flagged for simply buying out of routine gifts.

Fun facts: Kim made her first film in 2020, a five-minute documentary on Asian American suffragist Mabel Lee. Find it here. She's also classically trained in the violin and viola.

Thoughts on Charlotte: "Charlotte to me keeps improving upon itself, very similar to how I try to improve on these ideas that I have."

Read the full interview

We'll occasionally highlight interesting people with interesting jobs that might not always make headlines. Have someone in mind? Let us know by replying.

📅 Get some itinerary inspiration straight from our Event Board.

• Digital Marketing Certificate Sign-Up with Central Piedmont Community College, today–Thursday, April 1: This six-month virtual course is taught by popular local instructor Daniel Boyce in partnership with Facebook. $2,250.
• Virtual Tosco Music Party on Saturday, March 20: Enjoy performances by local, regional and nationally recognized talent. Free ($10 donation is requested).
• UNC Charlotte School of Data Science Analytics Frontiers Conference on Thursday, April 22 + Friday, April 23: Join thought leaders, scientists, and business executives for two days of speakers and interactive workshops. $20-100.

Want more things to do? Check out our Event Board. 

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