Naomi Osaka Wears Breonna Taylor Mask Before Her US Open Match

Naomi Osaka Wears Breonna Taylor Mask Before Her US Open Match
Bryan Ke
September 1, 2020
Tennis star Naomi Osaka made a powerful statement on social justice after she walked into the U.S. Open wearing a mask with Breonna Taylor’s name on it.
The details: The 22-year-old half Japanese, half Haitian American player walked into the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for her match at the U.S. Open while donning a Breonna Taylor mask on Monday, according to KRON4.
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  • Osaka donned the black mask with white text reading Taylor’s name as a way to honor the former Louisville, Kentucky EMT who was shot to death by the police.
  • This is not the first time Osaka has taken a stand against social injustice, Fan Sided reported.
  • Last week, she indicated she would forfeit her semifinals match to join the NBA, WNBA, MLS and MLB teams in sitting out games in protest for the shooting of Jacob Blake.
  • “As a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” she said on Twitter.
  • It resulted in the Western & Southern Open suspending the game on Aug. 27.
  • The tournament resumed on Aug. 28 following a statement from the USTA, the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association.
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Breonna Taylor shooting: Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT from Louisville, was shot inside her home shortly after midnight on March 13, the New York Times reported.
  • The police reportedly served a no-knock search warrant prior to the shooting.
  • She and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were already in bed when they heard the police banging at the door.
  • Taylor struggled to breathe for five minutes after being shot eight times.
Feature Image via (left) video screenshot @usopen (right) @naomiosaka
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