December 15, 2022
Black Women Had a Sister’s Back: Advocates Say They Played a Critical Role in Bringing Brittney Griner Home
The results of this case would not have been possible without a mass of supporters.
Black women were heavy advocates for two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury basketball star Brittney Griner in the fight to free her from Russian custody.
According to NBC News, Black women-led groups, including Win With Black Women, the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, and the Black Women’s Leadership Collective coordinated rallies, circulated petitions, and wrote to the Biden administration in a cohesive effort to push for the U.S. to bring Griner home.
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“I was moved to tears,” LaTosha Brown, of the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, said when she heard about Griner’s release after being “wrongfully detained” for 10 months in Russian custody for possession of vape canisters with cannabis oil. The release involved a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow.
In addition, they launched campaigns including We Are BG, a united campaign of various Black women-led groups that included activists, human rights groups, Griner’s legal team, WNBA officials and players, and many others.
Advocates highlighted the critical role Black women played in Griner’s release. They said that after Griner was transferred to a penal colony in November to begin her nine-year sentence, Black women were the most vocal, urging leaders not to forget about her.
“Many of us felt like if it didn’t get media attention, her case would just fade away. She could possibly live her life to rot in jail,” Brown said.
Griner’s release was announced last Thursday by President Joe Biden.
“I felt relieved; I felt hopeful. I always felt we would bring her home, I just didn’t know when. I believe Black women were instrumental in multiple ways,” she added.
Brown advocated for Griner not only as part of her mission to support Black women, but many people she was connected to knew Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner.
The Hill reported that The Win With Black Women collective accumulated 1,200 signatures from women to send a letter of support in July to the Biden administration on Griner’s behalf.
“It was painful for so many, particularly Black women, to see another Black woman be in those harsh conditions, to just see the pain in her face,” said Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women. “It was hard to watch. It’s hard to hear about the inhumane conditions that she was forced to be in.”
As previously reported in BLACK ENTERPRISE, Griner’s wife shared a post of acknowledgement on her Instagram thanking everyone who played a role in freeing Griner.
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