Naomi Osaka has made several important social media posts since George Floyd’s death in late May, and the two-time Slam champion has emerged as a vocal supporter of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and racial justice.
Now she’s writing about it.
On Wednesday Osaka penned a column for Esquire, expressing her thoughts on the issues that America is facing in the aftermath of Floyd’s death as well as her thoughts on racism in Japan.
“I honestly haven’t had the time to pause and reflect until now, which I think we can all relate to after the pandemic changed all of our lives overnight,” Osaka said. “In the past few months, I’ve re-evaluated what’s actually important in my life. It’s a reset that perhaps I greatly needed. I asked myself, ‘If I couldn’t play tennis, what could I be doing to make a difference?’
Osaka explains that she flew to Minneapolis with her boyfriend to attend peaceful protests after Floyd’s death. When she returned to Los Angeles she remained active.
“When I came back to Los Angeles, I signed petitions, I protested, and I donated, like many of us,” she said. “But I kept asking myself what can I do to make this world a better place for my children? I decided it was time to speak up about systemic racism and police brutality.”
The 22-year-old says she can remember watching news of the murder of Michael Brown, and feeling the outrage, but nothing came of it.
She feels that this time may be different.
“It’s going to take a collective effort,” she said. “Today’s protests have momentum and promise. This time, there is a different energy. Different faces are involved in the movement.”
Osaka says that she has experienced a lot of support in Japan, but that some have criticized her. She says it makes her smile to think that she could be a role model for other bi-racial girls growing up in Japan.
“We can’t let the ignorance of a few hold back the progressiveness of the masses,” she wrote.