'We must have the tough conversations with our friends... trying to educate my non-black friends on how they can help the movement. Second, we need to take action.' CocoGauff shared a powerful message with fellow protestors at a rally in her hometown
As she walked up to the microphone at a Black Lives Matter rally in Delray Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, the 16-year-old rising tennis star Coco Gauff told the assembled crowd that she had just come from talking to her grandmother. Then, she looked out at her fellow protestors and said: "I think it’s sad that I’m here protesting the same thing that she did 50-plus years ago. So I'm here to tell you guys that we must first love each other no matter what.
Gauff, who rose to fame when she knocked out Venus Williams in the first round of last year's Wimbledon, and then went on to make history as thesince Jennifer Capriati in 1991, acknowledged that her young age limited her own options to affect change -- "I'm not of age to vote," she said -- and asked the crowd to use the power they had. "It's in your hands to vote for my future, my brother's future and for your future," Gauff said.
Gauff added: "You need to use your voice, no matter how big or small your platform is, you need to use your voice. I saw a Dr. [Martin Luther] King quote that said, 'The silence of the good people is worse than the brutality of the bad people.' So, you need to not be silent. If you are choosing silence, you're choosing the side of the oppressor."
Gauff ended her speech by reminding her audience that events like the tragic death of George Floyd was not an isolated example of police racism and brutality. "This is not just about George Floyd," she said. "This is about Trayvon Martin. This is about Eric Garner. This is about Breonna Taylor. This is about stuff that's been happening. I was eight years old when Trayvon Martin was killed. So why am I here at 16 still demanding change? And it breaks my heart because I'm fighting for the future of my brothers. I'm fighting for the future of my future kids. I'm fighting for the future of my future grandchildren.
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