The New York Liberty were not only standing up against the San Antonio Stars but they were also standing up for human rights during Sunday’s game. The team showed solidarity as they wore #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5 shirts.
When athletes use their platforms to bring more awareness to what’s going on, it’s pretty terrific because it has a way of uniting people as they see that current events are not being ignored. The New York Liberty were facing the San Antonio Stars on Sunday at the Garden and before the game, the Liberty players made a powerful statement as they wore shirts that said both #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5.
The Liberty beat the Stars in a terrific game by a score of 75-65. During the post-game conference, the players reflected on their decision to wear these shirts and it’s downright inspirational. Swin Cash chimed in on the topic.
“To be honest with you, as a team, a few days almost this week, we’ve been
having discussions amongst ourselves and dealing with the issues that have been
happening in our society for a while and having the conversation. So, with a quick
turnaround for us, we actually have been in communication with other teams as
well, players and amongst the league and the players that we have talk to and that
we are friends with. For us collectively as a group, we decided this is something
that we needed to do, wanted to do, and do it here today in New York.”
However, what Kiah Stokes said in regards to the movement is key and shines a light on those who say “all lives matter.”
“Just because [the t-shirts] say ‘#BlackLivesMatter’ doesn’t mean that we feel all
lives don’t. It’s just a fact that if you look at the statistics, black people are being
killed at an alarming rate compared to white people. So that’s why we are saying
‘Black Lives Matter.’ This is something that differentiates us from what is going
on in the country. There is a difference between white people being killed and
black people so we’re saying black lives matter. That is what’s wrong right now
and we have got to make a change. We put ‘#Dallas5’ because we are mourning
the lives of those five officers that risked their lives to protect a peaceful protest.
We are thankful for them and we hope that people across the country can see that
and that we can all stand together and try to fight the injustices that we have in this
country.”
The New York Liberty did a fantastic job when it came to this topic and we hope others use their platforms or status to voice more injustices in this country.