Ali Riley: Her Truth and The Truth

By: Zach Draves

COVID-19 has shed light on longstanding problems plaguing America for years among which is racism. 

In the year since the pandemic began, there has been an alarming rise in hate and violence directed towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Individuals. 

According to Stop AAPI Hate, there have been nearly 4,000 incidents of hate and violence reported against the AAPI community. 

In Atlanta, Georgia, a white supremacist terrorist opened fire at a local spa killing eight women of Asian descent in a clear act of violent hate. 

Much of these acts stem from racist and xenophobic rhetoric coming from politicians and commentators in reference to COVID-19. 

As result groups such as Stop AAPI Hate have been able to organize with other civil rights groups to combat this scourge of hate to put pressure on communities to do more. 

Also, those in positions of power and influence have used their platform to shed light on this crisis, and among them are Ali Riley, defender of the NWSL’s Orlando Pride. 

(Courtesy: Orlando Pride)

Ali, whose half Asian and half white, has always been vocal about things that are important to her and society at large, and once she understood the magnitude of this problem and how it related to her life that she maximized her capacity for activism. 

(Courtesy: Orlando Pride)

“I have been a proponent of gender equity but haven’t been involved much about race” she said.

“It wasn’t until recently when I was looking at white privilege and being half white as well as becoming more in touch with my Asian identity and seeing what has been going on in the Asian community I just thought this was the time to use my platform.”

Ali is among a tremendous group of athletes in the NWSL who have been unapologetically vocal in their activism. 

(Courtesy: Orlando Pride)

Over the past year, the Black Lives Matter movement has grown in capacity and influence forcing America to have a long-overdue reckoning with racism. 

Ali was inspired so much that she took it upon herself to become more informed and realized the effect her speaking out can have. 

“When we use our platforms, it is important to be educated and informed in bringing awareness and being a role model.”

Her coming into her own goes back to her college days at Stanford were described how she was defying stereotypes about the Asian community. 

“A Lot of it was coming from this idea that we are so perfect and smart and put up on a pedestal.”

She is speaking about the dangerous and pervasive “model minority” myth. 

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching for Tolerance Program the model minority myth is described as such:

“The myth of the model minority is based on stereotypes. It perpetuates a narrative in which Asian American children are whiz kids or musical geniuses. Within the myth of the model minority, Tiger Moms force children to work harder and be better than everyone else, while nerdy, effeminate dads hold prestigious—but not leadership—positions in STEM industries like medicine and accounting. 

This myth characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, law-abiding group who have achieved a higher level of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant striving.”

This narrative does tremendous harm in the fact that it conveys a message that the Asian community is somehow free from racism, it also doesn’t acknowledge the diversity of the community, and it drives a racial wedge. 

In other words, American society often exploits Asian Americans and pits them against other communities. 

This is one of many reasons why collective solidarity is a must in the pursuit of racial justice. 

“There should be equal rights and freedom for all of us. It is about solidarity and we have to stick together” said Ali. 

As a result of her sharing her experience and shedding light on anti-Asian hatred, Ali has been overwhelmingly embraced by her family and peers and understood the power of narrative, especially when it comes to social media. 

She recognizes its double edge sword but found it to be her most effective outlet. 

As for the upcoming NWSL season and beyond, expect more from Ali Riley as she will not relent in her noble pursuit of justice. 

(Courtesy: Orlando Pride)

“I would like to connect with other Asian players in the league. We as women athletes have all shown that we are committed to this fight whether it is social justice, gender equity, or LGBTQ+ rights” she said.

“We are going to keep doing the work as long as it takes.”

She recognizes the impact she and her fellow players have on changing the course of history. 

Her words and her example truly speak of her serious drive for change. 

“Too many people are suffering for us to be silent.”

Let the church say amen!

Please check out and support Stop AAIP Hate https://stopaapihate.org/

(Courtesy: Facebook)