Rita Rivera

Felix Rodriguez, San Fransisco Giants

Rita Rivera’s project uncovers another dimension of the history of sports and protest, illustrating the Latino experience in baseball.

Felix Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants © Rita Rivera

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I came across Rita Rivera’s work in an archived exhibition at the Smithsonian called “Americanos: Latino Life in the United States” which toured from 1999 - 2004. The exhibition featured 30 Latinx photographers, six of whom were women. Rivera’s work focused on the history of Latinos in baseball and her series accompanied a book titled: “Speak English! The Rise of Latinos in Baseball.”

The book includes the experiences of 45 Latinos in the sport, and examines how, “American teams looked abroad for talent and cheap wages, carving baseball diamonds out of sugarcane fields.” While baseball felt unfamiliar to me, the complicated history between sports and protest brought forth a moment famously photographed by John Dominis for Life Magazine during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City:

Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, raising gloved fists at the 1968 Olympics © John Dominis/Time & Life Pictures

There are those chance photos we are exposed to as young people that mark our memories forever. The Black Power salute at the Olympics is one of mine. While I can’t remember how my high school teacher framed the event, I knew the image’s symbolism could be felt today, as evidenced by more recent reactions to Colin Kapernick’s protest.

Rita Rivera’s project uncovers another dimension of the history of sports and protest, illustrating the Latino experience in baseball. When I look at her portrait of Felix Rodriguez (header image), the focus between the sport and the athlete is inseparable, with hand and baseball commanding our attention. Although the history of the Latino experience in baseball extends beyond the borders of the frame, in choosing to focus on Latino baseball players, Rivera’s gaze brings that history right to the center.