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CA Gov. appoints Manjusha Kulkarni to AAPI Affairs Commission
The Los Angeles-based civil rights advocate leads AAPI Equity Alliance and co-founded Stop AAPI Hate.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 17, Jan 2026
- 14:56 EST
- 22
Manjusha Kulkarni / USCIS
California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Indian American civil rights advocate Manjusha Kulkarni to the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs on Jan. 16.
Kulkarni is the executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, a coalition of more than 40 community-based organizations serving Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, a position she has held since 2017.
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She is also a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, which was launched in 2020 and has become the nation’s largest reporting center tracking anti-Asian hate incidents.
In addition to her current roles, Kulkarni serves as president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and is a member of the California Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board. She also serves on the board of directors of LA Voice.
Kulkarni’s advocacy work through Stop AAPI Hate, alongside co-founders Cynthia Choi and Russell Jeung, has received national recognition.
The group was named to the TIME100 Most Influential People in the World list and the Bloomberg 50 list, and received the 2021 Webby Award for Social Movement of the Year. In 2024, Kulkarni was also honored with the James Irvine Leadership Award.
Kulkarni holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law.
According to the governor’s office, the position does not require Senate confirmation and does not carry any compensation. Kulkarni is a Democrat.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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