Support Asian American athletics.

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TAKE ACTION

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• Follow the Asian American & Pacific Islander Athletics Alliance on Instagram and Twitter.

• Follow and support the Asian American Justice + Innovation Lab. 

• Practice solidarity with Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

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GET EDUCATED

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By Andrew Lee (he/him)

Last Thursday, American gymnast Sunisa Lee won the women’s all-around title in the Tokyo Olympics. She overcame injuries and personal tragedies to win her gold medal, which means the United States is now tied with Russia for most total wins in the category (CNN). Her win has been overshadowed by her teammate Simone Biles’ decisions to withdraw from the event to focus on her mental health (CNN). As an Asian American athlete, Lee’s win was also met with outright racism.

Replies to a SportsCenter announcement of her victory (Twitter) included, “Isnt [sic] she chinese,” “Made in China,” “You wouldn’t guess she was an American based on her appearance and name, but go USA,” and “Is is legal for someone with her name to claim to be an ‘American’? I think so, but what to [sic] the Trumplicans think?” Confused non-Asian viewers presumably comprised most of the 19,300 people who viewed an article entitled “Sunisa Lee Ethnicity” (Heavy). Lee is from St. Paul, Minnesota, born to Hmong immigrants from Laos, a community displaced by the U.S. “secret war” in the country during the occupation of Vietnam (MSNBC). But many Asian athletes in the United States find they can never be American enough. 

Taiwanese-American professional basketball player Jeremy Lin famously endured racist media coverage and fan commentary while playing in the NBA (MSN). A few weeks ago, Stephen A. Smith made controversial remarks that MLB player Shohei Ohtani’s use of a translator “harms the game,” as we discussed in our piece on language justice. And last Monday, the World Archery Federation shared a video with the names of South Korean women’s archery team members written out in a “chop suey” font (Yahoo, NextShark). 

Racism in sports doesn’t start at the professional level, either. Asian American kids are stereotyped as good students but poor athletes. “Asian American men are often seen as effeminate or asexual,” one report stated, while Asian American women are seen as “passive” or submissive (APA). These aren’t the characteristics that come to mind when you think of aspiring athletes. As a result, sports organizations fail to provide Asian athletes mentoring, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) kids quit sports sooner than kids of any other race, and AAPI players are “vastly underrepresented” in American professional sports (Yahoo). Seeing that there are few avenues for Asian American success in sports, parents are more likely to encourage their kids to pursue other avenues such as academics.

This is one example how the back-handed "compliment" of the "model minority myth" hurts Asian people. The model minority myth states that Asians are exceptionally hard-working, rule-abiding, and intelligent. It’s harmful because it paints Asians as a monolithic block and because it was developed as an anti-Black stereotype to be used against the Civil Rights Movement (Anti-Racism Daily). It also hurts Asian Americans, who are dissuaded from participating in sports because athletics doesn’t fit the narrative of Asians as studious nerds. 

Fortunately, people are coming together to change this dynamic. This past March, the National Organization of Minority Athletic Directors and the Asian American Justice + Innovation Lab hosted a workshop exploring the intersections of Asian identity, athletics, and anti-racism (NOMAD). And in May, the Asian American & Pacific Islanders Athletics Alliance, 4AAPI, was founded to create a community for AAPI people in college athletics. “The creation of 4AAPI is long overdue in college athletics,” said 4AAPI cofounder Pat Chun. “AAPI individuals have a long and proud history of impacting college athletics and I’m proud that this community will finally have a home” (4AAPI).

Sports should be an opportunity to come together and witness athletic excellence. It's unfortunate that backwards stereotypes exclude some while souring the victories of others. The Olympics are an opportunity to reflect on the importance of changing this fact. We need to denounce racism in sports and support Asian American athletics.

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Key Takeaways

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• Asian American athletes often face racist abuse.

• At the same time, Asian American student athletes are discouraged by stereotypes and lack of support.

• These attitudes are some of the many harmful consequences of the model minority myth.

Confront rising temperatures.

Happy Monday and welcome back! You may be living in a city that experienced some significantly high temps last week. But who's responsible for the rising temperatures, and who's most affected? Today, Andrew unpacks the issue for today's newsletter.

For more perspectives on the environment and the future of this planet, I highly recommend reading our Earth Week series where we interviewed leading youth environmental justice activists on their work. It's available in full in our archives.

Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is fully funded by contributions from our readers. Make a monthly or annual donation to join in.

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TAKE ACTION

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• Understand environmental racism and the disproportionate impacts of climate change on oppressed communities in the U.S. and abroad. 

• Recognize how the U.S. military and major corporations fuel global warming.

• Support grassroots efforts by people of color to end environmental racism and climate change. If you have capacity, support an organization on an ongoing basis.

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GET EDUCATED

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By Andrew Lee (he/him)

Swathes of North America have been embroiled in a blistering, record-setting heat wave. The Lake Mead reservoir, which provides water to 25 million, is at the lowest level ever since its construction in the 1930s (CNN). In Vancouver, British Columbia, shellfish are being baked to death in their shells (Business Insider). Dozens of people died in Oregon alone when temperatures reached 116 degrees (Newsweek). After temperatures broke 121 Fahrenheit, a rapidly-moving wildfire consumed the entire town of Lytton (CNN). A group of scientists reported that heat so “far outside the range of past observed temperatures” is “virtually impossible without the influence of human-caused climate change” (CNN). That means this summer’s extremes aren’t a fluke but rather part of a near-apocalyptic pattern. 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the average global temperature will rise by two to four degrees Celsius by century’s end, though a rise of just 1.5 degrees would “near the upper limit of what’s tolerable” (KQED). Overshooting that mark means daily flooding along the East Coast (Press Herald), a billion people fleeing droughts and starvation (Reuters), and frequent heat waves severe enough to cook the organs inside your body (The Conversation). These aren’t worst-case scenarios, they’re projections of what happens should current trends continue. 

Given the disasters already in motion and predictions of regular organ-cooking temperatures across large swathes of the inhabited world, it’s understandable to think we’re all doomed. When global ecosystems are at a crisis point, we’re all in this together, right? 

But in a deeply unequal world, a global crisis has wildly uneven effects. A rising tide may lift all boats, but those closest to shore drown first. There are some for whom climate catastrophe is a cause for hand-wringing concern about their hypothetical grandchildren’s living standards. There are others for whom the crisis arrived years ago. 

Neighborhoods of color affected by redlining, historic bank and government-sponsored housing discrimination, are five degrees hotter than non-redlined neighborhoods since they have dramatically less tree cover. In Portland, OR, they’re a shocking 13 degrees warmer (NPR). Communities of color are where state and business elites dump toxic chemicals, coal-fired power plants, and chemical factories across the country. “The climate emergency will have a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities” (Guardian) since “the lack of equitable investment in low-income communities leaves people even more at risk for climate change impacts” (NRDC). When Lytton burned, those hardest-hit were the 1,000 members of Indigenous Nlaka’pamux community (CNN). And the climate refugees are already here: a devastating drought is one of the factors pushing the Central American migrants whom the Biden administration keeps incarcerating at the U.S.-Mexico border (ABC).

Droughts and rising sea levels already threaten modern-day U.S. colonies like the U.S. Virgin Islands (Caribbean Journal), “purchased” from Denmark in the early 20th century, and Guam, “acquired” in the Spanish-American War, where 34% of coral reefs died between 2013 and 2017. “One of the first steps is self-determination,” said the vice-chair of Guam’s Climate Change Resiliency Commission. “We’re a colony, and that’s part of dialogue” (Pacific Daily News). 

While the poorest communities and nations bear the brunt of the ongoing climatological disaster, those with the most economic power and military might are those creating and profiting from it. Liberal environmentalists claim that the solution to climate change is changing personal consumer choices, like driving less or buying “green.”  

But promoting recycling doesn’t change the fact that one of the largest polluters in the world is the U.S. military, which uses 270,000 barrels of oil a day and emits more greenhouse gases than most countries (Yahoo). Multinational corporations are responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. “Walmart... generated more emissions abroad than the whole of Germany’s foreign-owned retail sector. Coca-Cola’s emissions around the world were equivalent to the whole of the foreign-owned food and drink industry hosted by China” (Ecologist). 

Some say that humans are killing the planet, that we are all at risk and all of us are to blame. This is untrue. Upper management and investors in multinational corporations and American government elites are destroying the planet, and the very people they have long preyed upon are the first to be displaced, starve, roast, drown, and die. 

To preserve a habitable world for all of us and our descendants may require a fundamental shift in how we produce things and structure social and international relations. In the short term, a blanket approach to environmentalism will not suffice. Even major philanthropic foundations are starting to recognize that environmental racism and climate change affect poor nations and communities of color first (AP). Supporting the leadership of these communities in opposing the destructive systems that threaten life as we know it is a human imperative.

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Key Takeaways

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• Climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately impact marginalized communities of color in the U.S. and around the world.

• Those heating the planet are powerful institutions like major corporations and the U.S. military.

• These communities should lead the way in fighting for environmental justice.

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RELATED ISSUES

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4/22/2021 | Mohammad Ahmadi on Environmental Activism​

4/23/2021 | Daphne Frias and Disability Justice​

4/25/2021 | Jana Jandal Alrifai on Intersectional Change

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PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

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Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Make swimming more inclusive

Happy Friday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! There’s been a series of discriminatory policies affecting Black athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics. These policies reflect institutionalized racism that’s been codified throughout history. Today’s newsletter looks at the history of access to swimming pools and how it shapes participation in the sport today.

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Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is made possible by your support. Make a monthly donation to support our team.

– Nicole

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TAKE ACTION

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• Watch the documentary “Passage at St. Augustine: The 1964 Black Lives Matter Movement That Transformed America” to learn more about wade-ins during the Civil Rights Movement.

• Donate to Tank Proof, a nonprofit organization making swim classes accessible to historically excluded youth.

• Consider: How does the local beach, pool, or other recreational space in your community prioritize diversity and inclusion?

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GET EDUCATED

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By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Last week, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned swimming caps for Black hair from the Tokyo Olympics because they don’t follow “the natural form of the head”. Soul Cap, a company that makes swimming caps designed to fit over thick, curly hair and hairstyles common in the Black community, said that the international governing body for swimming rejected an application for their caps to be certified for use at competitions (Washington Post). After a week of criticism from athletes, partners, and the general public, the organization announced Wednesday that it would revisit this decision (NPR).

This continues a series of discriminatory policies facing Black female Olympic athletes as the 2020 Games approach, drawing broader calls of racism (Salon). But this example, in particular, touches on a long and troubling history of banning Black people from participating in aquatic activities. 

Before World War I, municipal pools acted as public bathhouses, frequented by people from all backgrounds, social classes, and races (although men and women were required to swim on different days). But after the war, the rise of recreational spaces in the U.S. shifted the concept of pools from utility to leisure. Swimming became more of a luxury than a necessity. Rules changed so men and women could swim together, drawing families and creating a new social activity for mingling. By 1933, Americans were spending as much time in pools as at the movie theatres (NPR).

But as swimming as a leisure activity grew, so did racial discrimination against Black people at pools. White people worried about having Black men swimming with white women. Some fears drew on racial tropes that Black men were sexually violent. Others were concerned that co-mingling would encourage interracial relationships. White elites also perceived Black, Asian and Latino people – even working-class white people – as dirty and prone to carry communicable diseases (National Geographic). As a result, many pools had “whites-only” days, pools were often sequestered in white neighborhoods, and individuals and local governments alike would reinforce who “belonged” in public swimming spaces (NPR).

And it wasn’t just pools – similar discriminatory practices affected how Black people and other people of color could access any public recreational spaces, including movie theatres, dance halls, amusement parks, and beaches.

These public spaces became the center of demonstrations for racial equity. Organized protests, referred to as “wade-ins,” were held at beaches and pools, where Black people and allies would get in the water where they were not allowed (History). In one highly publicized incident in 1964, Black and white protestors jumped into the Monson Motor Lodge pool in St. Augustine, FL. The manager, infuriated, dumped acid into the pool while the protestors were swimming (St. Augustine). Photos from the incident accelerated the civil rights movement, and pushed President Johnson to get the Civil Rights Act passed. View photos from the protest, and read a reflection on how the St. Augustine local paper covered the Civil Rights Movement.

In theory, the passing of the act should have ended racially segregated public spaces. Instead, many public pools closed. Others charged high fees, only allowed people that lived close by, and implemented “referral-only” policies to keep the space exclusive (National Geographic). This also sparked the rise of the backyard pool trend, as wealthy white people instead decided to have a pool space all to themselves. Public pools, already a costly investment for initial installation and upkeep, received less funding overall as a result. Many shut down (National Geographic).

This discrimination has lasting implications. According to a 2017 report from the USA Swimming Foundation, 64% of African American children had no or low swimming ability, compared to 40% of white children (Swimming World Magazine). More importantly, the study indicates that if a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 13% chance that their child will learn how to swim. Unsurprisingly, not learning how to swim greatly increases one’s risk of drowning. According to the YMCA, swim lessons for children ages 1-4 reduce the risk of drowning by 88% (YMCA). The CDC reported that, between 1999 and 2010, Black children drowned in swimming pools at a rate of up to 10 times higher than their white peers (CDC). It will take conscious effort to undo the harm of the past and make aquatics feel more accessible to all.

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Key Takeaways

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• The International Swimming Federation is reconsidering a decision to ban swimming caps for Black hair from the Tokyo Olympics. 

• Black people have long been banned from aquatic spaces through explicit policies, referral and fee-based exclusion, and even the closure of public in favor of private pools.

• As a result, Black people have much lower rates of swimming ability than white people, leading to a dramatically higher risk of death by drowning.

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RELATED ISSUES

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5/31/2021 | Learn about safe haven communities.

9/22/2020 | Learn about sundown towns.

5/12/2021 | Reverse racist land grabs.

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PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

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Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza