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SALT LAKE CITY – Jordan Clarkson saw the hateful racial insult spray painted on a well-known Filipino food truck in Utah on social media and was overcome with raw emotion.
“F — C —- s” and an offensive image of a face with slanted eyes was sprayed on the side of the World Famous Yum Yum Food Truck last weekend, and it didn’t take long for the images to reach Clarkson’s phone. The Utah Jazz’s sixth man of the year knew he had to do something after seeing the derogatory ethnic insult graffiti and hurtful image often used against Asians.
“If you want me to be really honest, my first reaction was, ‘These are bulls —! “” Clarkson told ESPN Thursday. “I was just like, we can’t do this. Those are the exact words that came out of my mouth to my boys, my family and everyone around me. So they were like, let’s go do something. [about it]. “
“There’s just no place for it,” Clarkson added, “especially right now. It’s been tough, tough years on this Earth, this country, this world. There’s a lot going on. I feel like us together, and everyone finds a peace, will make things much more comforting in this world. We have no more room for hate. It has to come out the window very quickly. “
For Clarkson, who is Filipino American, the vandalism of the Filipino food truck has hit on several levels. This is just the latest example of the hatred and violence that many Asians have suffered, especially in the past year during the coronavirus pandemic.
Clarkson, 29, was one of many, including local politicians and businesses, who wanted to help restore the food truck. Clarkson paid for the interior cleaning and detailing and has partnered with vehicle wrapping company Identity Graphx, which has designed a new exterior for the truck to be unveiled on Saturday during the Philippine Independence Day celebration. in Salt Lake City. Clarkson also provided the owners, Ben and Erin Pierce, with significant financial support to get the truck back to working order.
Clarkson said the Jazz invited the owners and employees of the truck to Game 2 against the LA Clippers on Thursday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“I didn’t even want it to really come out,” Clarkson said. “My team was like, do you want to go public with this or not. And I was kind of like no in the sense that I want to do it out of love and support. But for them they came to me and said you have to show people that you are there for them and let them know that you support them, and that’s what I do. I’m here to support, show love and just try to make a change. is all. “
Clarkson said his father worked in cars for a living and had a trailer outside the front yard of their house he worked from. Seeing the Filipino food truck vandalized reminded Clarkson how hard his father worked to provide for his family and how such an act of hatred and racism would have severely damaged his father’s business.
And the hateful insults deeply hurt the leader of Jazz. Many Asians live in fear in the United States amid an upsurge in hate crimes. From March 2020 to March 2021, there were over 6,600 anti-Asian hate incidents documented by Stop AAPI Hate.
“There just isn’t a place for it, especially right now. It’s been tough, tough years on this Earth, this country, this world. There’s a lot going on. I feel like it. that we are together, and that everyone finds peace, will do much more comforting things in this world. We have no more room for hate. It has to come out the window very quickly. “Jordan Clarkson
Hate crimes targeting Asians in major US cities increased 145% in 2020 from 2019, according to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. There have been verbal and physical attacks, some of which resulted in death, such as the March 16 shooting that killed six Asian women in the Atlanta area.
“It’s a big thing that we’re really trying to change and really be a part of, especially here in Utah,” Clarkson said of trying to raise awareness and fight racism and racial inequality. “It’s kind of a global thing going on that you see is a movement with everything. Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, all of these things are really getting in everyone’s eye now because everyone has social media, everyone has phones. I feel like this has been going on for a long time. “
Clarkson said he is finding his voice and becoming more active and involved.
“It’s been powerful, and for me it’s been a lot,” Clarkson said. “But you know I’m learning and doing a lot of things too to try to catch up with a lot of things. Being young in the league you don’t really care about a lot of these things. As you get older you really kiss. that role of who you are. It really strikes you at this time. “
Clarkson said the new owner of Jazz, led by Ryan Smith and including Dwyane Wade, has tried to use his influence to promote diversity and inclusiveness and speak out against hatred.
“They’ve already done a really good job of really trying to change that culture in Utah and really trying to create a time of change,” Clarkson said. “Like all hate and everything, if you come to our arena you will see the message that is put on the board before the matches [asking fans to curb hateful behavior].
“You have seen what our organization has done with Ja Morant’s family. What we are trying to do is commit to change. Since we are the leaders here in this community, this state and this city, I thinks it is our duty to do it. I feel like if people see us doing this, they will follow. “
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