Athlete activists should not be punished for protesting.
[ [link removed] ]Gwen Berry preparing to throw the hammer for her track
and field sport, hammer throwing.
Tell companies to sponsor Olympian Gwen Berry, who used her
platform to protest.
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION
Dear John,
[ [link removed] ]Athlete protests like Gwen’s should be not be punished. Demand
companies sponsor Olympian Gwen Berry.
Olympian, record holder, and Pan-American gold medalist Gwen Berry, was
abandoned by her corporate sponsors after she raised her fist to protest
racial injustice on the awards podium at last year’s Pan-American Games.
Gwen courageously put her career on the line to fight for justice. But
because she used her platform to demand justice for Black people, her
sponsors abandoned her.^1
Black athletes putting their careers and lives on the line to demand
justice is not new. Much like Eroseanna “Rose” Robinson, John Carlos, and
Tommie Smith, and other Black athletes before her, Gwen took a big risk,
using her gold-medal moment to send the world a powerful message: “America
can do better.”^2,3,4 But Gwen’s brave action was punished, leaving her
without the financial support that empowers many athletes to continue
training in their sport.
[ [link removed] ]Join us in calling on companies to sponsor Gwen Berry.
Right now is a revolutionary time for racial justice. And although we’ve
always been committed to racial justice, we at Color Of Change are pushing
to make a difference in Black people’s lives in ways we never have before.
That’s why we committed to financially sponsoring Gwen, and we’re asking
companies to step up and sponsor Gwen, too. Because committing to racial
justice means doing more than just releasing a Black Lives Matter
statement.^5
[ [link removed] ]Tell companies like Nike, United Airlines, Hershey’s, and Kellogg’s to
step up and sponsor athlete and activist, Gwen Berry.
Until justice is real,
—Jade, Arisha, Rashad, Johnny, Amanda, Marie, Evan, Imani, Eesha,
Gabrielle, Samantha, Jennette, Ciera, Marcus, FolaSade, and the rest of
the Color Of Change team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
1. “I Used the Podium to Protest. The Olympic Committee Punished Me.,”
The New York Times, September 7, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. “Sixty Years Ago She Refused to Stand for the Anthem,” Zora/Medium,
September 26, 2019,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. “U.S. Olympians, John Carlos call on IOC to abolish anti-protest
rule,” Yahoo! Sports, June 27, 2020,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. “Race Imboden kneels, Gwen Berry raises fist on Pan Am Games podium,”
NBC Sports, August 10, 2019,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
5. “Beyond the Statement: Demand that Corporations back up their
statements of support for Black people,”
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
(Image: [ [link removed] ]Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Images)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.
[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation
<style type="text/css">
blockquote .original-only,
.WordSection1 .original-only
{
display: none !important;
}
</style>
<div class=".original-only">
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
</div>
