NFL
By: Julio Olmo
U.S. Sports has embraced social justice, but the WNBA was doing it way before, it was cool to do so.
As said numerous times before, those who walk through the door first, many times do not get their just due, but not on my watch!
WNBA players will wear names on their jerseys such as Breonna Taylor, shirts honoring women who were the victims of police brutality, and Warm-Ups which will carry the Black Lives Matter movement slogan.
These are epic choice times in America.
Historic things, which we read about in school textbooks or watch documentaries on television are happening right in front of our eyes.
In the coming years, the results will define us for generations to come.
“Breonna’s mom [Tamika Palmer] was very honored the players wanted to do this in honor of Breonna and all the other women killed in police custody,” Lonita Baker, the lawyer for Taylor’s family, told ESPN. “And also that proceeds from the sales of the jerseys will go to the Breonna Taylor Foundation.”
The players will wear “special uniforms” to seek justice for the women and girls, including Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Vanessa Guillen, and many more who have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence.
The Say Her Name Movement is a response to black women’s deaths often being sidelined in activism and the press and sheds light on racial injustice faced by African American women in the US.
The decision to include the names on the player’s shirts was made by the league’s newly formed Social Justice Council, which has been set up to address this country’s long history of inequality, implicit bias, and systemic racism that has targeted black and brown communities.
Nneka Ogwumike, from the Los Angeles Sparks and the president of the WNBA player’s association, said she hopes the council can be a powerful force for good in the U.S. and abroad.
“With 140-plus voices all together for the first time ever, we can be a powerful force connecting to our sisters across the country and in other parts of the world,” Nneka Ogwumike said, “And may we all recognize that the league’s stated commitment to us — in this season and beyond — offers a pivotal moment in sports history.”
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert echoed Ms Ogwumike’s comments and said that she is proud of the players for using their platform to promote social injustice.“Working together with the WNBPA and the teams, the league aims to highlight players’ social justice efforts throughout the 2020 season and beyond,” Cathy Engelbert,“Systemic change can’t happen overnight, but it is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and promote the justice we hope to see in society.”
The following was released by the WNBA: pic.twitter.com/wH6ZmyDDcx
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 7, 2020
WNBA announces a 2020 season dedicated to social justice with games honoring the Black Lives Matter movement and the #SAYHERNAME campaign.
Read more: https://t.co/t5ncAeZoro pic.twitter.com/vJtxCUlhlF
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 6, 2020
