WNBA Social Justice Council

Last updated

The Women's National Basketball Association/Women's National Basketball Players Association Social Justice Council is an activist committee jointly run by the WNBA and the players union which addresses systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and other issues affecting women in the United States. It was formed in July 2020 after criticism of and pushback against the organizations' support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Contents

Background

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBA) has "a history of racial justice activism", according to NPR and dating back to its founding in 1997 according to CNN. [1] [2] According to Penn State professor of history and African American studies Amira Rose Davis, the WNBA has "always been fairly outspoken" and has a history of activism that has been often overlooked. [3] She said, "months before Colin Kaepernick took a knee" in September 2016 and became the face of activism against police brutality, the Minnesota Lynx team in July 2016, wearing Black Lives Matter shirts they were about to wear on court, held a pre-game press conference during which they refused to discuss anything but the killing of Philando Castile and other issues surrounding police brutality. [3] [1] [4] Four off-duty uniformed Minneapolis police officers working the game walked off the job and removed themselves from the list for working future games. [1] [4] As a league the organization had held "community partnership days" to address issues of social justice. [3] Seattle Storm head coach Gary Kloppenburg said the league had been on the "forefront" of the social justice movement and that other major leagues looked to the WNBA for leadership in social justice issues. [5] In 2020 the New York Times called the WNBA "the most socially progressive pro league" and said they had led other pro leagues in protesting racism and other social injustice. [6]

History

Shortly after the George Floyd protests began, the league and the players' union, the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), decided to put Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name slogans on warmup gear and opening weekend uniforms. [2] [7] On 6 July, the WNBA announced their pandemic-shortened season would be "dedicated to social justice." [5] [8] [9] In early July 2020, Atlanta Dream owner Senator Kelly Loeffler criticized the league's support for Black Lives Matter and asked the league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to drop support of the Black Lives Matter movement. [10] [11] [12] Engelbert refused, releasing a statement saying the league would "continue to use our platforms to vigorously advocate for social justice," and the WNBA and WNBPA announced the formation of the Social Justice Council by the league and union. [10] [13] [14]

Actions

During their next nationally televised game after Loeffler's criticism of Black Lives Matter, the Atlanta Dream wore T-shirts saying "VOTE WARNOCK", endorsing her upcoming election opponent Raphael Warnock, an African-American pastor. [2] Players for several other teams also wore Vote Warnock shirts in their games that night. [2] Warnock was at the time polling at 9%; his campaign received an "immediate and noticeable spike" in donations and mentions on social media, and he later defeated Loeffler. [2] The players' union and players from multiple teams pressured the league to force Loeffler to sell the team, which she later did. [2] [15]

The council has worked with the Say Her Name Campaign, which addresses incidents of police violence involving Black women and girls. [6]

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after there were violent attacks against Asian-Americans, players and teams tweeted support for AAPI communities. [7] The WNBA lead American professional sports teams in promoting the COVID-19 vaccine and in getting vaccinated. [16] Teams hosted vaccine clinics in their home arenas. [16] In April the Social Justice Council made a PSA, Our Health is Worth a Shot, that aired during the WNBA draft. [16] [17] In June 2021, the WNBA announced that 99% of its players had been fully vaccinated. [18]

Mission

The WNBA/WNBPA Social Justice Council is an activist committee which addresses systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, and other issues affecting women in the United States. [7] [12] In 2021 they added a focus on inequalities in health care and public health. [19]

Leadership

As of 2021 the organization's leadership included Layshia Clarendon, Sydney Colson, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and WNBPA Director of Player Relations Jayne Appel-Marinelli. [9] [20] Advisers include Alicia Garza, Rock the Vote CEO Carolyn DeWitt, Beverly Bond, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Raquel Willis. [7] [9] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball Association</span> Professional womens basketball league in the United States

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league based in the United States. It is composed of 12 teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from May to September, with the All-Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Storm</span> American professional womens basketball team

The Seattle Storm is an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season. The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, along with former player Sue Bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swin Cash</span> American basketball player

Swintayla Marie Cash Canal is an American former professional basketball player who played professionally for 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She currently serves as vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002. In her second WNBA season, she led the Detroit Shock to their first ever WNBA title. In 2015, she was named a studio analyst for MSG Networks covering the New York Knicks pre-games and post-games as well as the weekly coaches show. In 2017, Cash was named the Director of franchise development for the New York Liberty. Cash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Moore</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Maya April Moore is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, Sports Illustrated called Moore the "greatest winner in the history of women's basketball". Moore was selected for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Dream</span> Womens basketball team

The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the National Basketball Association's Hawks, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renee Montgomery</span> American Basketball player

Renee Danielle Montgomery is an American former professional basketball player, sports broadcaster and an activist; who is currently vice president, part-owner, and investor of the Atlanta Dream, and one of three owners of the FCF Beasts Indoor Football Team; making her the first player in the WNBA to become an owner and executive of a team and first female owner in the FCF. During her 11-year playing career in the Women's National Basketball Association, she won two championships with the Minnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017. During her college playing career, she won a national championship with the UConn Huskies in 2009. In 2020, Montgomery opted-out of the WNBA season in protest of police brutality, bringing forth awareness throughout the league and leading multiple campaigns dedicated to human rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breanna Stewart</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Breanna Mackenzie Stewart, nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Marta Xargay Casademont is a retired Spanish professional basketball player. She played for Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, and for several European teams in Czech Republic, Russia and Spain. She played for the Spain women's national basketball team from 2011 to 2020. She won EuroLeague Women 2010–11 with Perfumerías Avenida Baloncesto. She left Spain in 2015, joining both USK Praha of the Czech League in 2015 and the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA on 11 February 2015. In September 2018, she signed for Dynamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League and in January 2020, she returned to her youth club Uni Girona CB. After not playing in the 2020-21 season, she announced her retirement in July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layshia Clarendon</span> American basketball player

Layshia Renee Clarendon is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Clarendon is the first openly non-binary WNBA player, and the first active WNBA player to have top surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Williams (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Elizabeth Olatayo Williams is a British-born Nigerian-American basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the longest standing member of the Atlanta Dream until she signed with the Mystics. After immigrating from Colchester, Essex, England, she played her college career at Duke University. Then, she was drafted by the Connecticut Sun 4th overall in the 2015 WNBA draft, and was traded to Atlanta after only one year with the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A'ja Wilson</span> American basketball player (born 1996)

A'ja Riyadh Wilson is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the U.S. Senate to represent the state of Georgia. Incumbent Democratic senator Raphael Warnock won his first full term in office, defeating Republican former football player Herschel Walker. Under Georgia's two-round system, Warnock was re-elected in a runoff election on December 6 after neither candidate received over 50% of the vote on November 8. Warnock's win was the only statewide victory for Democrats in Georgia in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia</span>

The 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia was held on November 3, 2020, and on January 5, 2021, to elect the Class III member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Georgia. Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated appointed incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler. The first round of the election was held on November 3, 2020; however, no candidate received a majority of the vote, so the top two candidates—Warnock and Loeffler—advanced to a runoff on January 5, 2021, which Warnock won narrowly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Loeffler</span> American businesswoman and politician (born 1970)

Kelly Lynn Loeffler is an American businesswoman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2020 to 2021. Loeffler was chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange, of which her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is CEO. She is a former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Loeffler is a member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphael Warnock</span> American pastor and politician (born 1969)

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock is an American Baptist pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.

On August 26, 2020, some professional athletes in the United States began to go on strike for their respective sports contests in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After the video of Blake's shooting in which he was seriously injured went viral, protests and riots broke out in the city of Kenosha and elsewhere. As a result of the shooting of Blake and the protests which followed, on August 26, professional athletes refused to play in their scheduled sports events, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball Players Association</span> Trade union

The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) is the players' union for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It formed in 1998 and was the first trade union for female professional athletes.

The Wubble was the WNBA's 2020 coronavirus pandemic isolation zone at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The league, teams, and players used the season as a way to leverage advocacy for social justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laeticia Amihere</span> Canadian basketball player

Laeticia Amihere is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her father is from the West African country of Ghana, while her mother hails from Ivory Coast. She played college basketball at South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basketball</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to basketball around the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Around the world and to varying degrees, events and competitions have been cancelled or postponed with limited or no spectators, and other restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its 2019–20 season due to one player testing positive from COVID-19, and began to resume the season later in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mathewson, Eryn; Asmelash, Leah (29 August 2020). "Fighting for social justice is in the WNBA's DNA". CNN . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peaslee, Emma (21 January 2021). "Atlanta Dream, Co-Owned By Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, Is Close To Being Sold". NPR . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeong Perry, Alyssa (4 September 2020). "How Black Women Athletes Paved The Way For The NBA Strike". NPR . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 Shoichet, Catherine E.; Martin, Jill (12 July 2016). "Off-duty cops walk out over WNBA players' Black Lives Matter shirts". CNN . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 Hudson, Jamie (8 October 2020). "The WNBA at the forefront of social justice movement". NBC Sports . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 Abrams, Jonathan; Weiner, Natalie (2020-10-16). "How the Most Socially Progressive Pro League Got That Way". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Connley, Courtney (18 March 2021). "Natasha Cloud, Breanna Stewart and other WNBA stars on continuing the fight for social justice and equality". CNBC . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. "WNBA Announces A 2020 Season Dedicated To Social Justice". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Zillgitt, Jeff (6 July 2020). "WNBA dedicates 2020 season to social justice, announces creation of Social Justice Council". USA TODAY . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  10. 1 2 Hurt, Emma (7 July 2020). "Loeffler Asks WNBA Commissioner To Back Down On Black Lives Matter Jerseys, Warmup Shirts". NPR . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  11. Hurt, Emma (15 July 2020). "GOP Senator On Defense As WNBA Team She Co-Owns Embraces Black Lives Matter". NPR . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  12. 1 2 Voepel, Mechelle (24 July 2020). "How the WNBA's commitment to social justice united players to return for 2020 season". ESPN . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  13. Booker, Brakkton (7 July 2020). "WNBA Dedicates 2020 Season To Social Justice Initiatives. Senator Says She's Opposed". NPR . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  14. Adams, Abigail (7 July 2020). "WNBA, WNBPA Form Social Justice Council, Campaign Ahead Of 2020 Season". New England Sports Network . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  15. Deb, Sopan; Draper, Kevin (26 February 2021). "Atlanta Dream Are Sold After Players' Revolt Against Kelly Loeffler". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 Negley, Cassandra (28 June 2021). "WNBA keeps leading the way announcing 99% of players fully vaccinated". Yahoo Sports . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  17. Thornton, Cedric (16 April 2021). "WNBA Launches Public Service Announcement Supporting Health of Black Women and Girls, $25,000 Donation PSA and Joint Community Donation Included". Black Enterprise . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  18. Brito, Christopher (28 June 2021). "WNBA says 99% of its players are fully vaccinated against COVID-19". CBS News . Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  19. Ariail, Cat (23 April 2021). "Following Chauvin verdict, WNBA players stay committed to social justice". Vox Media . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Social Justice Council Overview & Mission". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 29 June 2021.