A U.S. senator who co-owns a womens basketball team says she opposes the WNBAs plan to promote “Black Lives Matter.”
“I was incredibly disappointed to read about efforts to insert a political platform into the league,” Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) wrote in a letter to Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA).
“The lives of each and every African American matter, and theres no debating the fact that there is no place for racism in our country. However, I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement, which has advocated for the defunding of police, called for the removal of Jesus from churches and the disruption of the nuclear family structure, harbored anti-Semitic views, and promoted violence and destruction across the country,” she added.
The political movement isnt aligned with the values and goals of the league and the Atlanta Dream, the team she co-owns, Loeffler asserted.
The letter was obtained and published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A Loeffler spokesman confirmed to The Epoch Times the authenticity of the letter but declined to send a copy.
Loeffler shared the story about the letter on social media. She said the league should stand for and unite around the American flag, “not divisive political movements like BLM that unapologetically seek to defund the police.”
Black Lives Matter, which started in 2013, is pushing for defunding police departments across the United States.
The group also says on its website: “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and villages that collectively care for one another.” Supporters of the movement have called for toppling Jesus statues and removing his likeness from churches. Houses of worship have been damaged during protests and riots in recent weeks, some of which are linked to Black Lives Matter.
WNBA Reaction
Reaction around the womens league was harsh, with many condemning Loeffler.
Layshia Clarendon, who played for the Dream from 2016 to 2018, said she cant believe she ever visited Loefflers house and shared a meal with her.
“Its actually really hurtful to see her true colors. I had no idea while I played for ATL she felt this way. Happy to own us as long as we stay quiet and perform,” Clarendon wrote in a social media post.
Renee Montgomery, a WNBA player who isnt playing this year so she can dedicate time to so-called social justice reform, told Loeffler: “Im pretty sad to see that my team ownership is not supportive of the movement & all that it stands for.”
“I was already sitting out this season & this is an example of why. I would love to have a conversation with you about the matter if youre down?” she wrote on Twitter.
The Womens National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) said Loeffler should be removed from the league.
Engelbert, the leagues commissioner, said in a statement late Tuesday that the league is based on the principle of equal and fair treatment of all people.
Loeffler, she said, hasnt served as a governor of the Dream since last year and iRead More From Source
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