It is difficult to grasp the magnitude of today’s news that Brittney Griner is on her way home!

After a 294-day saga as a political prisoner in Russia, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday announced their success in achieving what this #FreeBG petition first asked of them on March 5: to secure Griner’s swift and safe return to the U.S.

I stand in awe of the people at Change.org who offered support for the petition from the first day it was live. Without them, the petition would not have gained national recognition. Now on its way to more than 400,000 signatures, the #FreeBG petition helped power important activations toward keeping Griner’s name in the news across these many months. From cloaking Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in Griner’s image to amplifying her absence from this year’s ESPYS, the team at Change.org—especially Aminata Diallo and Calvin Iverson—worked tirelessly to broaden the petition’s reach, whether through front-facing or behind-the-scenes efforts.

Thank you to Change.org for your immediate and consistent support, as well as to everyone who signed their name to it or shared it. 

My gratitude extends to the Biden Administration, which responded to the petition, and to the U.S. State Department for inviting me into important rooms to discuss and strategize over Griner's case. Members of the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs are everyday heroes, and I recognize my engagement with them as both an honor and a win for democracy: by the people, for the people. 

It is my sincerest wish that the success of this petition encourages others to speak up and speak out against injustice, and to use every peaceful tool at their disposal to advocate for society's most vulnerable. 

Signing off, but not before sending all the love and well-wishes to #42 as she reunites with her family and begins a healing journey most of us are fortunate enough to never know.  

-Tamryn Spruill