Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director, AAPI Equity Alliance, Los Angeles, CA
Manjusha P. Kulkarni (Manju) is the executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity), a coalition of over 40 community-based organizations that serve and represent the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County. In March of 2020, Manju co-founded Stop AAPI Hate, the nation’s leading aggregator of COVID-19-related hate incidents against AAPIs.
In 2022, Manju was one of five individuals awarded the Racial Equity Award by Bank of America for her service breaking down systemic racial barriers and creating economic opportunities for Black, Latino, Asian American and Native American individuals nationwide. In 2021, Manju was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential individuals and by Bloomberg/Business Week as one of 50 individuals “with the ability to move markets or shape ideas and policies” with the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate, Cynthia Choi and Russell Jeung. Cynthia, Russell and Manju also were awarded the 2021 Webby Social Movement of the Year.
Manju’s work has been featured in the New York Times, CBS News, and CNN, as well as in numerous ethnic media outlets. Manju is a member of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board.
Prior to working at AAPI Equity Alliance, Manju served as the executive director of the South Asian Network, one of the nation’s oldest community-based organizations advancing the health, safety, and well-being of South Asian Americans. While there, she received the White House Champions of Change award from President Barack Obama for her dedication to improving health care access for Asian American communities. Manju holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.