Serena Williams writes powerful message on police violence: ‘I won't be silent’
Serena Williams penned a letter on Facebook about police violence against minorities on Tuesday, writing that she fears for the safety of her 18-year-old nephew.
In her message, Williams details how she became nervous after seeing a police officer alongside the road as her nephew drove her to an appointment.
The full letter can be read below:
“Today I asked my 18 year old nephew (to be clear he's black) to drive me to my meetings so I can work on my phone #safteyfirst. In the distance I saw cop on the side of the road. I quickly checked to see if he was obliging by the speed limit. Than I remembered that horrible video of the woman in the car when a cop shot her boyfriend. All of this went through my mind in a matter of seconds. I even regretted not driving myself. I would never forgive myself if something happened to my nephew. He's so innocent. So were all "the others"
I am a total believer that not "everyone" is bad It is just the ones that are ignorant, afraid, uneducated, and insensitive that is affecting millions and millions of lives
Why did I have to think about this in 2016? Have we not gone through enough, opened so many doors, impacted billions of lives? But I realized we must stride on- for it's not how far we have come but how much further still we have to go.
I than (sic) wondered than have I spoken up? I had to take a look at me. What about my nephews? What if I have a son and what about my daughters? As Dr. Martin Luther King said " There comes a time when silence is betrayal".
I
Won't
Be
Silent
Serena”
Williams has previously spoken out about police brutality and gun violence in America, and she offered encouragement to Black Lives Matter last year. Her half-sister was killed in a 2003 drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.
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