Dodgers manager condemns Asian American discrimination in email

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts condemned the violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in an email sent within the organization.

“Many of you know that I was born in Okinawa, Japan and my mother is Japanese,” Roberts wrote, according to The Athletic. “I am proud to stand with my Asian American co-workers, the community, and all others who support an inclusive and open-minded society. #StopAsianHate”

“In recent months, those attacks have intensified and have targeted the elderly in California and New York – such bullying is cowardice,” wrote Roberts, whose father is Black.

“I am also proud that the Dodgers organization, with its forward-thinking ways, has transformed its work environment by establishing better ways for all employees to be heard, and as a result, I write this letter today. After speaking with Dodger leadership, the entire organization fully supports this view,” he wrote.

These comments come amid a surge in discrimination against the Asian American community in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Stop AAPI Hate, an alliance of Asian American advocacy groups that was founded in March 2020, issued a report in August announcing that it had received more than 2,500 reports of hate and discrimination nationwide.

Roberts told The Athletic he decided to write the email after basketball player Jeremy Lin denounced the discrimination that he and other Asian Americans experienced.

“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans,” Lin wrote on Facebook. “We are tired of being told that we don’t experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren’t as real.”

Lin later added that he was called “coronavirus” on the basketball court during a game.

Roberts expressed his appreciation to the Dodgers for supporting his views, and reiterated the importance of his message.

“I just felt that if any organization should be the first to speak out about this, it should be us,” Roberts told The Athletic. “It’s great to know that the Dodgers’ organization supports my views, and for us to collectively be aligned is important. Unilaterally, we have a message that should be heard by all.”