(और ज्यादा…)

NFL Preseason is in full effect and e-mails from friends are now circulating about playing some pick-up football to celebrate the coming season. As a former mediocre high school football player, I must confess that I hate playing pick-up football games. Sure, the camaraderie is fun with friends, but pick-up football misses the core elements of what makes football a great game to play. In pick-up games, plays are called ad-hoc (or not at all), players make up their own roles, routes and responsibilities and the quarterback rarely ensures that his or her team is exploiting the other team’s soft spots. Without practice, everybody has limited experience playing together and lack a common language to operate under. What I call a post route, somebody else calls “sort of a number 7.” Finally, there’s no overarching game plan because there’s no head coach or any coaching of any kind. (और ज्यादा…)

For those of you living in a cave the last few years, one of the fastest growing sports in America is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This combat sport is most well-known by its largest promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is the undisputed “big leagues.” This past Saturday, Chan Sung Jung (aka “Korean Zombie”) fought for the UFC featherweight title, sadly losing after a mid-fight shoulder injury. Later this month UFC lightweight champ Ben Henderson, a proud Korean-American, will defend his title in Milwaukee. For me, it’s thrilling to see fighters of Asian descent not just competing in the UFC, but actually excelling and serving as headline attractions. Based on my rough calculations, around 6% of all UFC fighters are of Asian descent. Given that Asian Americans constitute about 5.8% of the U.S. population; this clearly signals that Asian Americans have arrived in the UFC. For comparison, the percentage of Asian Americans elected to Congress is a little over 2%. Now, this healthy representation in the UFC ranks is partly due to the recent inclusion of lighter weight classes, but the opportunity still had to be seized by Asian fighters showing up and performing consistently. Asian Americans are a rapidly growing population, but it takes more than numbers to achieve the full measure of representation. (और ज्यादा…)

What defines you?  (my dreams; my passion; my music; my past and present; my future; my experiences.)  — Impact Fellows, writing about Kinetic.

This summer, five of our Impact Fellows began the work of building an infrastructure for a high school youth program at two local community-based organizations (CBOs), based on our Kinetic program.  While the project has been challenging, it feels particularly critical.  CBOs have long proven to be important places for young folks to engage in community building and identity development, and part of our mission at Advancing Justice—Chicago is to support capacity- building and leadership development within these organizations. (और ज्यादा…)