New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart keeps setting the standard as one of the WNBA’s leading voices, and she did so again on Sunday, this time against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency.
Ahead of Mist BC’s Unrivaled League game against Vinyl BC, Stewart stood in solidarity with the victims of the fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis, holding up a sign calling for the agency to be abolished.
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ICE have drawn widespread public outage and protests over the fatal shootings of U.S citizens Renee Good, a single mom, and Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse in Minnesota.
As such, Stewart’s decision before the game quickly drew attention, and Stewart solidly stood by it afterward, explaining her reasons when asked about the message in her postgame press conference.
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Breanna Stewart explains her decision to stand with protesters against ICE
Speaking to reporters after the game, Breanna Stewart said she was “disgusted” by the latest events that has happened in Minnesota.
“I knowing what my values are and what I stand for, really, all day yesterday I was kind of disgusted,” Stewart said. “Everything that you see now on Instagram and the news.”
The NY Liberty player also stated she wanted to spread love and “uplift” communities, which are values she believed ICE was trying to erase.
“We are so fueled by hate right now instead of love,” Stewart continued. “I wanted to have a simple message of abolish ICE, which means to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.
“I think when human lives are at stake, it’s bigger than everything.”
Stewart held up a simple two-word message during the player introductions on Sunday: “Abolish ICE.”
Credits: r/WNBA/Reddit
Though short, the words were viewed as a solidarity sign with protesters as condemnations continue to pour out over the fatal shooting by federal agents on Friday, which led to the death of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis native.
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Nonetheless, the WNBA star then backed her pre-game message with a strong performance on the court, recording a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
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