By Randall Yip, AsAmNews Executive Editor
When you’re the first at anything, representation matters.
That extra sense of pride came to the surface earlier this year when the brother and sister ice dancing duo of Maia and Alex Shibutani became the first Asian American team to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Alex is also the first Asian American man to receive the honor. Being the first has followed the pair throughout their skating careers.
“As we started competing on the international stage, there is no precedent, there was no precedent or historical sort of record of teams that look like us, placing at the top of the most elite prestigious competitions in the sport,” said Alex.
The two have been skating together since ages nine and 12 with Alex being the big brother. Together they’ve won two national championships, two bronze medals at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang along with two silver medals and a bronze at Worlds.
“I think that when we were competing internationally, oftentimes people didn’t know who we were. There had been confusion for where we were from, from any Asian country really,” said Maia.
That’s why when the two were the first Asian American team to stand on the Olympic medal podium and reporters failed to mention that in their coverage, Alex made a point of tweeting about it.
So it’s only natural that the two released a children’s book from Penguin Young Readers today entitled Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All. The picture book contains the stories of 36 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who the two describe as both changemakers and role models.
It’s co-written by Dane Liu and illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel.
“We want to continue to uplift, we want to take steps in a positive direction and give the next generation,” Alex said.
“Something that we didn’t have on our shelves,” Maia added.
The two loved to read as children but recall not seeing many Asian American characters in the literature they could relate to. While the two find that representation still lacking, they see their book as another step forward along with progress seen in other media.
The two acknowledge that until recently, they were not aware of Vicki Manolo Draves and Sammy Lee who in 1948 each became the first two Asian Americans to win Olympic gold medals-both in diving.
They say they might not have felt so alone competing had they known of Lee and Draves.
The Shibutanis excluded themselves from the book and also did not include Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan, saying their fellow figure skating Olympians are well recognized and they didn’t want to show favortism to ice skaters.
They did, however, include Chuck Aoki, an American paraolympic wheelchair rugby player.
“He is a tremendous person, but also advocate for sports in general, and Paralympic and adaptive sports in the disabled community,” said Alex. “So we’re big fans of him and Carissa Moore, who won the first Olympic gold medal in women’s surfing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The book not only includes athletes, but also historical figures, politicians, celebrities, astronauts and architects. They hope readers both young and old will have fun figuring out how many of the 36 featured in the book they already know.
“And sometimes people come up and they’re like, Oh, I’m so embarrassed. I wish I knew more. I only knew 10 out of the 36,” said Maia. “And there’s really no shame in that. It’s just exciting that this book exists now. And that following this book, people can continue to do their own research on the figures that are in it. And then also, within the entire community.”
The two continue to skate in the Stars on Ice show both domestically and internationally. Memories of their competitive careers no doubt came rushing back during this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
They acknowledged the emotions from hearing the tributes of so many people who supported them was a bit overwhelming.
“Our parents were there, they were able to show messages from key figures in our lives. And even just leading up to the ceremony, some of the conversations that we were able to have with individuals who’ve either supported us, or mentored us along the way, it was a really special celebration,” recalled Maia.
The two plan to continue to share that joy with others.
“The best investment that a person in the Asian American Pacific Islander community can make is sharing knowledge with the next generation that empowers them to believe that anything in their life is possible,” said Alex. “Anything that they want to pursue, they can do it. There are people who have, you know, existed and exist today that are doing great things and they can also achieve those great things. To make change, you have to empower and educate the next generation.”
Portions of the proceeds from purchases of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All through the bookshop link above will go to support a local book store and AsAmNews.
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