Black women leaders calls for US to bring Brittney Griner home

Nearly 1,200 Black women leaders across the country are calling on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to ramp up their efforts to free WNBA superstar Brittney Griner from detainment in Russia.

In a letter, the #WinWithBlackWomen, a group of Black women leaders from various backgrounds in the public and private sector, is urging the Biden administration to make a deal to get Griner back home safely.

Among the women who signed the letter are Philadelphia native and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, orator and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Dr. Bernice King, Democratic political strategist and author Donna Brazile and several university coaches and WNBA players.

“She is consistently denied consular access, enduring inhumane conditions, being denied communication with her spouse, family, and friends,” reads the letter, signed by a litany of Black women leaders in business, sports, the faith community, labor, media, civil rights, education, government, tech and entertainment.

“In addition to distinguished accomplishments in the United States and decorated Olympian, Brittney is a member of an elite global sports community, a four-time Euroleague champion and seven-time Russian League Champion,” the leaders said.

“Brittney’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the safety of all athletes who travel to compete internationally and the sanctity of sport. It is imperative, President Biden, that you address this ongoing human rights crisis and make a deal to bring Brittney home quickly and safely,” the leaders added.

The letter comes as the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury center recently made a personal plea for freedom to President Biden in a handwritten note, in which Griner expressed fear that she would never return to the U.S. after being arrested.

Griner, who has played in Russia during the WNBA's offseason, was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 

“Much like in previous moments of great concern throughout our nation’s history, as Black women we are compelled to once again step up and leverage our influence and collective power to stand united in our unwavering call for this Administration to do everything within its power to bring Brittney Griner home," said founder of #WinWithBlackWomen Jotaka Eaddy in a statement.

"It has been more than 134 days – far too many days for any American to be subjected to conditions and treatment that Brittney has faced,” Eaddy added. “She deserves the very best our nation has to offer, and we can not fail her. In the days and weeks ahead, Black women will continue to organize and work to ensure that Brittney gets home.”