Angel City FC unveils new pro-immigrant T-shirt in 13 languages
Angel City Football Club announced Thursday the expansion of its “Immigrant City Football Club” campaign, unveiling a limited-edition apparel collection featuring the slogan “Los Angeles is for Everyone” written in 13 languages representing the city’s diverse communities.
The t-shirt and cap, available in club colors, feature languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Yoruba and Zapotec – the latter representing one of the city’s largest indigenous migrant communities, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico.
“Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and that diversity is our strength,” Chris Fajardo, Angel City FC vice president of community relations, said in a statement. “This campaign is more than a t-shirt. It’s about standing with our community, celebrating our differences and making it clear that everyone belongs here.”
The back of the jersey, written in 13 languages, including Zapotec.
(City of Angels)
The products are available at Angel City’s online store and will be available in the club store at BMO Stadium beginning May 2, during the Asian American, Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month commemorative game against the Utah Royals.
Proceeds from the sale of merchandise will benefit the International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA), a nonprofit organization that provides immigration legal assistance, refugee support, and essential services for immigrant integration in the city.
The initiative is a continuation of the original campaign launched last year, when the club distributed the first T-shirt in solidarity with Los Angeles’ immigrant communities facing uncertainty in the city due to immigration raids. During the raids, many Los Angeles teams, including the Dodgers and Galaxy, were criticized for their silence, despite having a large Latino fan base.
Last year, 10,000 T-shirts were printed. They were worn by the players upon arrival at the stadium, while Angel City coach Alexander Straus and his coaching staff also wore them on the bench, and one of the team’s investors, singer Becky G, spoke to fans at the stadium in support of the immigrants before the game.
This article first published in Spanish via LA Times in Spanish.
