API Fury

Asian & Pacific Islander Roller Derby Collective

Background, Mission, Objectives

While there have been previous iterations of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) roller derby teams, including pickup teams at various venues (e.g. Yellow Fever at RollerCon) and World Cup national teams with mostly diasporic members (e.g. Team Philippines, Team Korea, Team Taiwan, Team Vietnam, and more), API Fury was formally established in early 2025 to allow underrepresented API athletes in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and beyond to connect and compete alongside one another on a regular basis as teammates, instead of against one another—if we even get to meet at all.We want API Fury to feel like a celebration of coming home. Asians and Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians) have been racialized as a distinct group in places like the US and categorized as "visible minorities" in places like Canada. API players may experience racism and xenophobia against our diasporic communities, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and/or social isolation both off and on the track, and may also feel stuck between worlds or disconnected from our own cultural heritage. It's not unheard of for our members to be the only API skater in their home league. In a predominantly white sport, API Fury is intended as an important space for fostering a sense of joy and belonging, building community and solidarity, healing, and giving API skaters the opportunity to connect more deeply to our roots.API Fury skaters span the world, yet we find common ground through our shared experiences, our resilience, and the rich interwoven tapestries of our cultures, histories, and identities. Though a few API Fury skaters are based in Asia or the Pacific Islands, the vast majority of our current members have left our ancestral homelands through many different means. We are (or are the descendants of) immigrants, war refugees, asylum seekers, and adoptees, who left due to reasons including violence or persecution, economic hardship or opportunity, devastating climate-induced displacement, and adoption. Some of us are generations removed from the regions that hold cultural significance for us, or have parents and ancestors of multiple diverse backgrounds; still others rely on family photos to trace their origins and identities to Asia or the Pacific Islands, as formal documentation was lost or made inaccessible due to political, economic, and/or ecological instability and upheaval.While we (re)claim pride in our cultures and our histories, API Fury recognizes the complexities within and across our diasporic experiences. We recognize that some of the countries whose peoples we trace ancestry to have historically and presently oppressed, colonized, and subjugated other such countries, leading to socioeconomic and other disparities within API communities; areas throughout Asia and the Pacific have also in some shape or form been subject to western colonialism and imperialism. These intricate and varied histories form the very foundation of API Fury: We hold these contradictions in ourselves and come together by deliberate choice, committing with this team to build bridges across borders, dispel a sense of alienation, create community, encourage opportunities for mentorship, and inspire and educate ourselves and others.

Positioning API Fury in a global context
Choosing to ally ourselves with one another across lines that would isolate and divide us is an inherently political project. As a team, we stand against capitalist-driven militarism, occupation, and imperialism, which continue to have a profound effect on Asia and the Pacific, from naval war drills in Hawai'i that destroy island ecosystems and aggravate the climate crisis, to the legacies of US-backed wars spanning from West to Southeast Asia, to the US's massive network of military bases in Hawai'i, Guam, Okinawa, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Korea, and beyond.Together, we echo calls to keep Taiwan free, to let Gaza live, for no war but class war. We condemn the dehumanization of migrants and militarized aggression against our communities in the form of racial profiling, violent raids, and detentions at our schools, workplaces, and homes. We rise against the resurgence of fascist ideologies worldwide. API Fury joins other borderless roller derby teams in creating new possibilities for the ways we move through the world, from international sports arenas to our streets, toward decolonial futures and collective liberation.

What is API Fury?
API Fury is a global community of skaters of Asian and/or Pacific Islander (API) descent who play roller derby on an international level.In North America, the term “Asian” generally refers to those of East Asian and Southeast Asian ancestry; in the UK, it refers to people of South Asian ancestry. Additionally, colloquially, the area known as the “Middle East” is generally not considered Asia at all. However, similar to the term “Orient,” the term “Middle East” is rooted in European colonialism: In the colonial imagination, this area was between China and Europe, and was hence named “middle” east (as opposed to “far” east). API Fury rejects categorizing ourselves based on such colonial and Eurocentric understandings.Our parents and/or our grandparents are from the following regions, including (but not limited to):

Reference: "Census Data & API Identities," Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (see also "Asian and Pacific Islander Identities and Diversity," May 2019)

Objectives

Who can be a part of API Fury membership? How does one join?

Membership requirements
The criteria for API Fury membership are as follows:

Members are expected to abide by the community agreements outlined in our code of conduct.Our identities are rich and interwoven, and as such, members of API Fury are welcome to hold membership in other collective, borderless, or diasporic teams.How to apply to join API Fury
Prospective members will be asked to fill out the API Fury application form. From there, the Training & Membership Committee will take the lead on vetting applications, including potentially asking for personal references, and reaching out to accepted applicants for onboarding (such as joining the API Fury Discord server).Guest and affiliate coaches and support staff
Non-members who assist the team for individual games or tournaments as coaches, trainers, bench staff, photographers, medics, or other non-skating support roles are expected to act in accordance with the overarching goals outlined in the mission of the team as well as the community agreements outlined in our code of conduct. They will be given limited access to the API Fury Discord server for the purposes of game prep and logistics.

Community Agreements

API Fury strives to provide an inclusive, accessible, and safe space for its members, as well as anyone else the team may interact with. All of us bring our many varied identities and perspectives to the team, and we must work together to acknowledge and honor our different strengths, challenge power dynamics, be accountable to each other, and reduce harm. It's up to each and every one of us to keep our team culture where we want it to be, including being willing to interrupt boundary-violating behavior.API Fury members commit to preventing and (if/when possible) interrupting any harassment, bullying, or discrimination in our online and in-person spaces; to acknowledging and respecting each other's boundaries and the ones set out in this code of conduct; and to upholding the core value of safety to the best of our ability.In empowering our group as a whole, API Fury is committed to values of community care, setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, and acting with integrity. Should conflict arise, our approach is one of mediation and repair, rather than grievance, surveillance, and punishment. These are basic community agreements that members are expected to uphold:

To provide some containers for some of the potentially sticky feelings and behaviors that may be experienced by members of the team, API Fury presents definitions below for Harassment/Bullying, Discrimination, and Safety.Harassment/Bullying
Harassment is defined as an “attempt or repeated acts by one person or group of individuals to assert abusive, unwanted power over another” (per Peach State Roller Derby's Code of Conduct). Harassment might include, but is not limited to:

Sexual harassment is defined as “knowingly unwelcome sexual advances” or other verbal or physical conduct that explicitly or implicitly creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Sexual harassment might include, but is not limited to:

Discrimination
API Fury is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination based on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, social and economic class, age, religion or lack thereof, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, and disability. Discrimination might include, but is not limited to, prejudicial statements or actions related to the aforementioned categories that diminish a person's perspective or lived experience.Safety
API Fury is committed to the safety and well-being of its members and in creating an environment where all athletes can thrive. Players and coaches are expected to lead with example on good sportsmanship: winning with dignity, losing with grace, and practicing good integrity by demonstrating fair play and positive support for other players, personnel, officials, and fans during practices and games, especially under pressure. In addition, captains and coaches are expected to:

In addition, players, coaches, staff, and anyone else traveling with or on behalf of the team are expected to proactively test when feeling symptoms of illness or COVID-19 (including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, etc.) and excuse themselves from games, tournaments, and other gatherings should they test positive.

Mediation and repair process
Should mediation or a repair process be desired, one can reach out to a member of the Mediation & Repair Committee with a description and outlining of the circumstances. This Committee is here to provide any support for any interleague conflict, feelings of unfairness, or a violation of our code of conduct, ultimately getting to the core question of “What would you like to have happen?” A rough outline of the process may follow:1. Reaching out to the Mediation & Repair Committee: The committee will reach out to all parties involved and impacted and have initial conversations to talk through circumstances, and what might be the ideal outcomes. If harm has occurred, then conversations will be had with both the parties who have caused harm, and experienced harm. To the parties who caused harm, the Committee will ask:

And to those who experienced the harm, they will be asked:

2. If the issue persists: The members who are perpetrating the harm will be sent a formal statement of what line of action needs to be seen in order to repair the situation. They can discuss this with the Mediation & Repair Committee, and ultimately will be asked to sign off on the document along with a brief statement of their own outlining how they will take accountability and repair the issue.3. If the issue persists further: The Mediation & Repair Committee will meet with the member involved, and have one more opportunity to discuss potential ways of taking accountability, in addition to potential further action items, which may include expulsion or temporary suspension. The meeting will be documented by the Mediation & Repair Committee, and create a binding document that the Mediation & Repair Committee, as well as the member, will review.While this is the last resort, if there is an immediate danger to individuals and the team at large, or the person/people who have caused the harm are unwilling to take accountability for the impact of their actions, the API Fury Mediation & Repair Committee can make the recommendation (based on a majority vote) to the broader Leadership Team to apply some sort of disciplinary action, and/or expel the member from API Fury.If the matter brought forward involves a member of the Mediation & Repair Committee, they will recuse themselves from the situation, and another member of the Leadership Team (which includes all committee leads) will step in temporarily to make the recommendations for removal or for any other necessary actions.

References (with gratitude and appreciation):

API Fury Committees

Executive Committee: President, VP, Secretary
The Executive Committee (comprised of the President, Vice President, and Secretary) shall keep API Fury’s documents together and organized, file for any necessary documentation (e.g. a 501(c)(3) documentation in the US if it is ever applied for). The Executive Committee shall be voted on every year, and they will coordinate the annual collective meeting where voting takes place, as well as any ad hoc collective meetings as necessary. The President operates on behalf of API Fury in an official capacity, sets meetings between the entire team of committee leads, and holds the other committees accountable to their leads (assisted by the Vice President). The Secretary takes notes and maintains the internal documents of API Fury.Marketing Committee
The Marketing Committee will manage any social media profiles, write any newsletters, and manage any outside communications with the public. They will also keep track of any creative assets.Finance & Fundraising Committee
The Finance & Fundraising Committee will manage any financial and fundraising accounts (including but not limited to Venmo, Chuffed, etc.) and also keep track of any financials (including budget, expenses, income). They will make contact with and source any potential sponsors. They will work closely with the Merch Committee.Merch Committee
The Merch Committee will manage any orders of merch or uniforms. They will work closely with Marketing and Finance & Fundraising to keep track of any creative assets necessary for merch and uniforms and keep track of the budget for any potential orders. This may also include managing an online store.Games Organization & External Affairs Committee
The Games Organization & External Affairs Committee will manage any logistics necessary for games. This includes communicating with the hosting team/league, sourcing potential scrimmages or games with skaters across the world, and potentially setting up documents for any stays and/or visa requirements.Training & Membership Committee
The Training & Membership Committee will establish team strategy and make rostering decisions. They will communicate closely with the Games Organization & External Affairs Committee on coordinating rosters and sending out information about roster selection ahead of time.This Committee will also facilitate the general onboarding for any potential members of API Fury. As API Fury grows, this task may be moved or adjusted to a different committee depending on the volume of potential members.Mediation & Repair Committee
The Mediation & Repair Committee will help guide any clarifying updates to the code of conduct (in conjunction with the Executive Committee) as the organization evolves and help facilitate mediation and/or repair if requested.