“It Shouldn’t Have Been That Way” – Naomi Osaka on Colin Kaepernick Kneeling Down

With an unarmed black man George Floyd losing his life in police custody, it has ignited worldwide protests and leading to  Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign. The Japanese tennis ace Naomi Osaka vocalized about racism, now she’s is more engrossed in the commotion happening and she doesn’t plan to step back.

In 2016, NFL star Colin Kaepernick initiated the protest. He knelt during the preseason game, while the national anthem was being played. Later, it persuaded other players to do the same. Osaka reflected upon the gesture from the NFL sport.

“Colin has been putting this message out since 2016. It took a pandemic, an economic crisis, and a torturous murder on camera, all at the same time, for people to really hear him,” Osaka spoke to Reuters in conversation via email.

“It shouldn’t have been that way. If the NFL wants to show that they really care the first thing they should do is take a knee together and give Colin his job back. That some people have said we as athletes should stick to sports is really insulting.”

Naomi Osaka protesting in LA, California

She has been personally affected by the protests in the US. Osaka has also attended Black Lives Matters protests in Los Angeles, California. She wants to use her platform to bring a change in society.

“George Floyd’s murder and the situation generally in America has had a big impact on me. Being silent is never the answer. Everyone should have a voice in the matter and use it,” she said.

Osaka was born to a Haitian father and Japanese mother and she calls herself ‘black Asian’. Once, a comedy duo from Japan made a racist quip on Naomi. And having faced racism at a personal level and in her home country, Naomi recently highlighted the fact that racism is not just confined to the western world. It also exists in Asian countries.

Read More – Naomi Osaka Tears Into Existence of Racism in Japan