Why Capitol riot gives Dawn Staley reason to speak out ‘louder than ever’
For months now, Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team have been speaking out on social justice issues. Staley spoke at forums and many players participated in protests against systemic racism and police brutality in the summer. They even selected the theme of 2020-21 season as “What Matters.”
And as Staley watched Wednesday as violence erupted at the U.S. Capitol, with rioters clashing with police and trying to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election, she saw all the more reason to be vocal on those issues.
“Louder than ever,” Staley said Saturday of her desire to speak out. “I got ammunition now. I’ve got ammunition because sometimes, when you can’t see it with your own eyes, you have a tendency to live in this imaginary world. There’s nothing imaginary about what took place on Wednesday. There’s nothing imaginary about what took place in the summer. Violence is something that I don’t want to ever have to actually endure in my life, just me. Seeing it is bad enough, you know, but we got to take our blinders off.
“We have to continue to have these uncomfortable conversations, because it is people’s experiences. Five people died out there. You know. we should not take that for granted and we should not be OK with it.”
Staley labeled the riot “domestic terrorism,” “avoidable” and “not called for.” She also directly connected it to most of her players choosing to sit during the national anthem this season, a decision that has been met with criticism by some.
“It makes you reflect on what took place in the summer and what took place on Wednesday, and the stark difference of where we are with things,” Staley said. “And I’m not afraid to say one of the main reasons why our players sit during the national anthem is that situation. That is what they, us, have had to deal with all of our lives.
“And I have yet to have anybody call out those acts in D.C. as disrespectful or despicable or all of those adjectives that our players have been called over the past few months because of what they’re doing. I have yet to have anybody that’s reached out to me, that’s come on my [Twitter] timeline, that’s come on my phone ... to condemn that action. And that’s disheartening.”
Further comparing the two situations, Staley said Wednesday’s events were more proof that she and her players should not be told to “shut up and dribble,” a phrase some have used to discourage athletes from publicly discussing politics or social issues.
“There were veterans that charged the doors of the Capitol. There were politicians. You go down the line, there was somebody in every profession. And I’m sure there was somebody that played sports — Division I sports, Division II, Division III. So when you tell us to shut up and dribble, when those same people are doing what they did on Wednesday?” Staley said. “No, no, because that impacts all of us. What they did impacts all of us, so we’re not going to just shut up and dribble. We’re going to live our lives, we’re going to keep our eyes open and we’re going to speak out on things that hit our heart in a certain way.”
