By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
When the Seattle Storm face the Connecticut Sun on May 20 at Climate Pledge Arena, the team will hold its first Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Night, part of its 2026 “Storm Surge” series highlighting Seattle’s diverse communities through cultural performances, themed merchandise, and in-game programming.
Woven into a 2026 home schedule packed with theme games, the game sits alongside newly introduced events such as the team’s first Black Excellence game in June and a late-summer Native American Heritage Night, underscoring the team’s ongoing push to turn WNBA basketball into a showcase of one of Seattle’s widely recognized strengths: diversity.
Sarah Alamshaw, Seattle Storm vice president of public relations (Courtesy of Sarah Alamshaw)
“When fans come that night, I just want them to leave with incredible memories,” said Sarah Alamshaw, the Storm’s vice president of public relations. “I want them to leave like … they feel celebrated, they feel special, they feel seen.”
The game unfolds during AANHPI Heritage Month, observed nationally each May. This year’s federally designated theme is “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together,” set by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council.
Storm’s framework guides planning
Sheridan Blanford, Seattle Storm chief social impact officer (Courtesy of Sarah Alamshaw)
AANHPI Heritage Night’s framework is built on three pillars: amplification, awareness, and action. Sheridan Blanford, the Storm’s first chief social impact officer, described the structure as a way to move beyond “check-the-box” celebrations. “We were really, really intentional about not doing that,” she said.
“Amplification (is) where we are bringing awareness, heightening voices, heightening platforms to those that need and deserve it the most. The second part of that is awareness, going beyond just the celebratory. How can we integrate educational elements to increase awareness around these communities? And then the last piece of that is action. How are we using our platform, our people, our resources to meet the community where they’re at and invest where appropriate?”
Planning for AANHPI Heritage Night began in late fall 2025.
Unity through diverse representation
Dani Crivello-Chang, Seattle Storm season-ticket holder and dean of campus life at Green River College in Auburn (Courtesy of Dani Crivello-Chang)
Rather than highlighting a single culture, the Storm worked to reflect what Dani Crivello-Chang, a season-ticket holder from Bonney Lake, called the “fabric” of AANHPI identities.
“I think it’s so important especially for marginalized communities … and the Storm dedicating a game to AANHPI communities, it’s not like, ‘Hey, that’s a great gesture. Check box,’” said Crivello-Chang, the dean of campus life at Green River College in Auburn. “It’s a statement that these communities matter and that we’re the fabric, part of a larger mosaic of women’s sports.”
Crivello-Chang, a mixed-race woman born and raised in Hawaii who has been a Storm fan since 2000, described her vision as walking into Climate Pledge Arena and seeing a “sea of cultural representation.”
“A Filipino barong, a Pacific Islander pareo, or AANHPI cultural colors alongside Storm jerseys would be amazing,” she said. “Thousands of people bringing their heritage into Climate Pledge with others who don’t identify but support our communities by rocking out whatever Storm-specific AANHPI swag there is.”
“I hope to feel like we’re celebrated on large scale, that they see something that represents many communities,” Crivello-Chang said.
That vision of unity across difference reflects the theme’s call for progress through collective action.
“She (Crivello-Chang) hit it on the nose,” Alamshaw said. “AANHPI is not just one group. It’s multiple groups coming together.”
Honoring head coach Sonia Raman
An important person during AANHPI Heritage Night will be Sonia Raman, who made history in November 2025 when the Storm hired her as the WNBA’s first head coach of Indian descent. She previously served as an assistant coach with the New York Liberty.
“From an amplification perspective, we will be honoring her for who she is as a human being,” Blanford said. “She’s really proud of her heritage and culture. The representation that she brings to the AANHPI community is something that she’s really proud of.”
Alamshaw emphasizes Raman’s presence embodies the theme’s message about collective representation creating opportunity.
“She’s a trailblazer in her own right, and I think that story deserves to be told not just on a night, but throughout the entire season,” Alamshaw said. “She’s opening so many doors for so many people.”
Merchandise designed within the community
At the game, the Storm will promote at the Storm Team Shop exclusive in-arena-only merchandise designed by graphic designer Ali Mahoney, who identifies within the AANHPI community.
“I’ve seen initial designs, and it’s going to be great,” Alamshaw said. “We want to share her story, where she came from, what made her create the design that she did.”
“I’m really excited to be able to pitch that story out locally and have people learn more about Ali and how great of a Storm employee she is.”
For Crivello-Chang, having an AANHPI graphic designer reflects the theme.
“It’s even more important to me that somebody within the identity group has designed something, because it’s not only their heart and soul, it’s their identity. And they’re part of our community,” Crivello-Chang said.
Not forgetting the past
“Many folks know there’s a very long history of anti-Asian things that have happened within the Pacific Northwest,” Crivello-Chang said.
Seattle has a documented history, including a riot in February 1886 when mobs forcibly expelled approximately 350 Chinese residents from the city.
Racial restrictive covenants in King County prevented Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other groups from buying, renting, or occupying houses in certain neighborhoods from the 1910s through 1968.
“I think that it’s so important to center this and not only think about how the trauma has shaped us as a people, but how the trauma is making us celebrate who we are and be unapologetically loud about who we are,” Crivello-Chang said.
“We are part of the fabric of the Pacific Northwest, of Seattle, of the Storm family.”
What awareness means during AANHPI Heritage Night
Alamshaw, who is Asian American and whose grandparents and their families joined around 125,000 others of Japanese ancestry in incarceration camps under Executive Order 9066, said the awareness pillar ensures the game addresses past racism.
“That history is very real. It’s something that can’t be forgotten,” she said.
Blanford said about the Storm’s responsibility concerning that history, “We are the ones that are very firm in standing up against hate and violence and discrimination.”
Building partnerships
The theme “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together” is demonstrated by the Storm’s commitment to using the game as what Blanford called “a jumping-off point.”
“This is not our landing spot, okay? We use this as a means to connect and be really thoughtful about honoring those that deserve it and need it the most,” she said. “We’re really excited to get connected with some community organizations that we haven’t been connected with then understand where we can mutually benefit and partner with each other.”
Blanford said the Storm is bringing AANHPI leaders together at the game “to start building rapport, connection, relationship so that we can be really thoughtful about partnering in advancing the work that their organizations are doing.”
She said she will look at qualitative data to evaluate the success of AANHPI Heritage Night because “people’s personal experiences and connections to things can sometimes tell a stronger story than a number can.”
Unity means everyone belongs
Alamshaw works to make Storm basketball accessible to everyone, reflecting the theme’s focus on coalition-building.
“I want people to just feel like it’s all one community,” she said. “We’re all there for the same purpose: to see some good basketball, get a Storm win, and celebrate each other.”
Crivello-Chang said she hopes to see “families like mine, people carrying multiple identities, showing up, finding a home.”
“I hold multiple identities,” she said. “The organization, the fans, the players are diverse in their identities, their perspectives, their abilities—all with the commonality of turning it up for the Storm to win.”
What young fans will experience at the game
Blanford said she wants AANHPI children who will be at Climate Pledge Arena to experience something special.
“I just want them to feel like seeing themselves represented is normal … They get to experience that as a normal part of their childhood,” she said. “I would hope that the children just walk in and are like ‘This feels normal to me’ because that’s not something I ever had.”
Unity means communities need to come together
Blanford’s final message extends an invitation that strengthens all communities.
“You are welcome to be a part of the AANHPI Heritage Night that the Seattle Storm is hosting,” she said. “And we want you to know … we care about and we want to see you all-year round, the 364 days outside of that one day.”
For more information on the Seattle Storm’s AANHPI Heritage Night, go to storm.wnba.com/theme-nights.
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