No justice, no peace. Say her name.
Remember her name.
And by wearing Breonna Taylor’s name on the backs on their 2020 jerseys, several WNBA players are doing just that — honoring the late emergency medical technician who, on March 13, was shot eight times and killed by police officers in her Louisville, Kentucky home.
It has been four-plus months since Taylor, 26, was murdered, and while one of the three officers involved in the incident was fired, no criminal charges have been filed against any of the officers who raided her home and shot her while she lay asleep in bed.
On June 22 Angel McCoughtry, entering her 10th season in the league and first with the Las Vegas Aces, wrote on Instagram that she was, “working with the @lvaces and @wnba to use our voices, our uniforms, and our sport to continue to impact and create real change.”
“I am creating a petition to allow players the ability to put the FIRST & LAST NAME of HUMAN BEINGS who have been injured or KILLED in incidents involving POLICE BRUTALITY!,” she wrote. “Even Front line workers during the pandemic. The goal is also to create a relationship with the families. … Silence is an ally for EVIL and when sports resume WE WILL NOT BE SILENT.”
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On July 6 the WNBA answered the call and announced it would honor Taylor as part of a league-wide initiative called The Justice Movement.
“The WNBA will begin its season … centered around the Black Lives Matter movement, during which teams 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 league said in a release. “Throughout the season, players will wear … warmup shirts that display “Black Lives Matter” on the front. Additionally, “Say Her Name” will adorn the back of the shirts. “Black Lives Matter” will also be prominently displayed on courts during games.”
On Thursday teams and WNBA players began to unveil those jerseys.
More than a game ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿#sayhername #saytheirnames pic.twitter.com/dG9q4lL8t7
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) July 15, 2020
Justice is coming pic.twitter.com/FKJHsVpTKn
— McCoughtry (@angel_35) July 15, 2020
Say Her Name #BreonnaTaylor #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/mJv1rZzy3g
— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) July 15, 2020
Chicago Sky guard @SydJColson gives a first look at her WNBA jersey honoring Breonna Taylor
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 13, 2020
Players will be wearing uniforms to honor women who "have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence." pic.twitter.com/I7foHw2y6x
Look good, play good! #SUNState pic.twitter.com/XcAjVIZfvY
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) July 16, 2020
📸 day in the Wubble pic.twitter.com/fdLMoaIAjC
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) July 16, 2020