Phoenix’s Footprint Center became a congregation ground for something other than Mercury basketball on Wednesday. Representatives from the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association (WNBPA), the Mercury and the Phoenix Sun, rallied community support for Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17.  

Featured speaker Cherelle Griner, BG’s wife, threw her support behind the Biden Administration’s efforts to secure BG’s release. “Let’s make sure this administration knows that they have our support to do whatever is necessary and that we are not going to ever be quiet until she is home safely,” Cherelle said. “This easily could be any one of us.”

Basketball player and poet Imani McGee-Stafford, who last played in the WNBA in 2019 before taking a break to attend law school, delivered an impassioned speech. “I can stand here and list her accomplishments but I don’t think somebody should have to be extraordinary or exemplary for their country to protect them,” McGee-Stafford said.  

“Privilege is being able to leave this stadium and forget, to put down this pain even if only for a moment,” McGee-Stafford added. “I implore you to feel, to ask people to listen, to force people to listen … It hurts, I know, but we have to choose humanity every day and that is the only way we get others to care. Her story is our story, her safety is our safety.”

After multiple extensions to her pretrial detention and the U.S. government’s reclassification of her case in May to “wrongful detention,” Griner’s trial began Friday July 1 in Moscow, at which time the 31-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist did not make a statement to the court. 

The trial resumed on Thursday, July 7, and Griner pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to transport vape cartridges containing hashish oil through a Moscow airport. The Secretary of State issued a statement affirming support for Brittney shortly after the trial, and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Griner’s guilty plea “will have no impact on any of the negotiations” involving her case. A range of experts have weighed in regarding the pros and cons of guilty pleas in cases of wrongful detention.

[Brittney Griner’s guilty plea doesn’t mean what you think it does. A legal expert explains.]

[Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Charges in Russian Court]

Griner could face 10 years in prison. 

The recent turn of events comes on the heels of a groundswell of support emerging for Griner over the last week. In addition to the Change.org billboard campaign located at Capital One Arena in our nation’s capital, a #WinWithBlackWomen letter was signed by nearly 1,200 Black women leaders from the realms of sports, entertainment, labor, business, politics and faith. Addressing the “inhumane conditions” Griner is enduring, the letter calls on Biden to “address this ongoing human rights crisis and make a deal to bring Brittney home quickly and safely.”

[Prominent Black women urge Biden to ‘make a deal’ for Brittney Griner]

Monday, July 4, a day meant to celebrate this nation’s independence, was not a day of joy for Griner, her family, team or supporters. It marked Day 137 of her wrongful detention in Russia. In a handwritten letter to President Biden, BG shared: 

“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”

In a statement provided to The 19th News, Cherelle addressed the president directly in discussing the letter: “We miss her so much and our hearts will not be whole until she is home,” Cherelle stated. “President Biden, I hope this letter moves you the way it moved me and that you will do whatever you can to bring my wife home quickly and safely.” 

[Brittney Griner to Biden: ‘I’m Terrified I Might Be Here Forever’]

[This Independence Day, Remember Brittney Griner. We’re Not Free Until She Is] 

Now, the WNBA heads into All-Star Weekend in Chicago and BG’s absence is felt by all. Known for their advocacy, BG’s sisters in the WNBA have remained vocal supporters of their contemporary, using their platform to amplify her case. Their rallying cry, “We Are Not The 144 Without BG,” is especially powerful this week. Griner will make her eighth All-Star Game appearance as an honorary member this year. 

In light of her guilty plea, Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Action Network, has convened a press conference for Friday leading into the weekend’s All-Star festivities. “Brittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion,” Rev. Sharpton said. “She is in the fight of her life right now, which is why we’ll be in Chicago to show our support for Brittney and for the Administration and their efforts to bring her home as soon as possible.”

Cherelle, WNBA players, and WNBPA leadership will join Rev. Sharpton in this appearance. “We must all continue to pray she finds strength through this challenging time,” Rev. Sharpton added.

WHO: 

• Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network
• Cherelle Griner, wife of Brittney Griner
• Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks power forward and President of the WNBA Players Association, alongside fellow WNBA players
• WNBA Players Association Executive Director Terri Jackson and Union leadership

WHERE: 

• Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place, 2233 S. Martin Luther King Dr, Chicago, IL 60616

WHEN: 

• Friday, July, 8, 2022 – 4:00 p.m. CST

And there is still more you can do to help secure BG's release. 

Action items for supporters:

• Sign and continue to share this petition.
• Call the White House and let President Bident and Vice President Harris know that their call with Cherelle provided the necessary assurance that BG, Paul Whelan, and other detained U.S. nationals are priorities for their administration. Let the Commander in Chief know that we stand with him to do whatever is necessary to bring them home. [Contact the White House]
• Follow @TheWNBPA and @Athletes4Impact on social media for additional calls to action and updates throughout the week.

-#WeAreBG

(Photo credit: The Phoenix Mercury )