Serena Williams Says She 'Won't Be Silent' About Police Brutality 

She details a recent car ride with her black nephew and the fear she felt when she noticed a police officer behind them. She said she immediately thought of the video of Philando Castile who was shot dead by a police officer in July for no reason beyond being a black man.

For a woman who has herself faced plenty of blatant racism throughout her career, Serena has largely remained tight-lipped and has steered clear of open political criticism. She has made references to the treatment she’s received due to the “color of her skin,” but as a Jehovah’s Witness, Serena has said that she’s not involved in politics and doesn’t vote.

You can read her entire statement 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 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