WNBA players will have names of women killed by police brutality on back of their shirts

‘It is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and promote the justice we hope to see in society,’ says commissioner Cathy Engelbert

WNBA players will return to the court later this month, for a special weekend of action dedicated to women who have died because of police brutality and racial violence.

The season will begin on 24 July with a weekend of basketball, after the 2020 competition was delayed from its scheduled start date of May, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the weekend of competition later in July, the players will wear special jerseys, that will honour and demand justice for women who “have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence”, according to a statement from the WNBA.

The players 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 statement read.

Players will also wear jerseys during their warm-ups that will have “Black Lives Matter” written on the front and “Say Her Name” and “Breonna Taylor” on the back, according to HuffPost.

Ms Taylor was killed in May when police broke down her door in an attempted drug raid, and shot her eight times. No narcotics were found in her residence.

One of the officers involved in the incident was fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department, but so far no criminal charges have been filed.

Ms Taylor’s family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the incident.

The #SayHerName movement is a response to black women’s deaths often being sidelined in activism and the press, and sheds light on racial injustice faced by African American women in the US.

The decision to include the names on the player’s shirts was made by the league’s newly formed Social Justice Council, which has been set up to “address this country’s long history of inequality, implicit bias and systemic racism that has targeted black and brown communities”.

Nneka Ogwumike, from the Los Angeles Sparks and the president of the WNBA player’s association, said she hopes the council can be a powerful force for good in the US and abroad.

“With 140-plus voices all together for the first time ever, we can be a powerful force connecting to our sisters across the country and in other parts of the world,” Ms Ogwumike said.

“And may we all recognise that the league’s stated commitment to us — in this season and beyond — offers a pivotal moment in sports history.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert echoed Ms Ogwumike’s comments and said that she is proud of the players for using their platform to promote social injustice.

“Working together with the WNBPA and the teams, the league aims to highlight players’ social justice efforts throughout the 2020 season and beyond,” she added.

“Systemic change can’t happen overnight, but it is our shared responsibility to do everything we can to raise awareness and promote the justice we hope to see in society.”