Moving goal posts: Migrant children run, kick and laugh at free Brooklyn soccer program
Power Malu was a familiar sight in New York City’s hip-hop scene during the 1990s, so he’s no stranger to the question “can I kick it?” Today, he answers that question through a free youth soccer clinic for migrant children hosted by his organization Artists Athletes Activists.
Every other Saturday in East New York, two indoor fields are reserved for two hours for the youngsters to channel their inner Messi. They’re split into two co-ed groups, with ages 4-8 playing on one side and the “big kids” playing on the other.
“[It’s] a safe place for them to be themselves, not [to] be judged because they are aware of all the anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s been going around,” said Malu. “With how they are treated at the shelters in the schools, this is a safe place for them to feel welcome [and] like they belong. [To] do something that they love and they enjoy.
“And [to] just really be free. Be kids. They’re hugging. They’re playing. They just love it.”
The Lower East Side-based activist, who once made his name appearing in The Roots and De La Soul music videos, began greeting migrants when they still arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. His trademark afro is long gone, now replaced with long flowing hair akin to former NFL player Troy Polamalu, whom he loosely styles his name after. But Malu is more offensive tackle than strong safety, known around migrant advocacy circles as a key frontline worker who often operates with minimal funding.
Malu says his friend’s daughter Talya L., a Brooklyn high school soccer player, approached him with an idea for starting the program.
“I worked with Artists Athletes Activists before in a food justice program and one key part of my childhood is soccer and I really love the game,” she said. “So I figured that soccer was a great way to bring something fun to these kids.”
So they started fundraising. On Saturday, they held the program’s fifth winter session. Resources remain limited but the operation is anything but low-budget. The youngsters arrive wearing the same uniforms with the Artists Athletes and Activists Futbol Club (A3FC) logo, and are provided water bottles, balls and turf shoes. They’re greeted by coaches who offer expertise and encouragement.
Two hours of field time flies by. The older kids play more intently, with organized games and designed drills. The younger kids seem more excited and race up and down the field. Between kicking the ball with their impossibly tiny feet, they find time to wrestle each other to the ground and totter off the field to check in with their parents, who watch from the sidelines. Neither group is keen on keeping score, yet every moment seems to count.
After the soccer clinic wraps up, the kids are treated to food before they are lined up for picture day. Photographer Eric Thompson snapped portraits of the youngsters to immortalize their wide smiles—many with gaps recently occupied by baby teeth—into sports trading cards.
The soccer clinic seems to be an escape for Malu himself, who expressed frustration with the city’s 60 day shelter limits for migrant families. After buses were restricted in New York City, he now meets new arrivals at Penn Station after they first land in New Jersey. He tenses up when he talks about prepaid cards for migrants which restrict what goods they can buy. But Malu relaxes when a young boy approaches him for the world’s smallest fist bump.
Murad Awawdeh, New York Immigration Coalition executive director, commended the efforts and underscored the importance of keeping the youngest migrants engaged as they navigate the city’s housing system and the country’s immigration system.
“When you organize each other and actually step up together, we’re able to do a lot more good work as one,” he said. “[The Artists Athletes Activists] model of give what you can or help how you can is really inspiring to see take action.”
Tayla L. hopes that others can follow and chip in their own talents towards making New York City a more welcoming place for migrants.
“The way I found to help is through sports but there are so many things can being that other people to be doing to help,” she said.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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