Coco Gauff spoke at her local peacefulprotest in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.- The 16-year-old
tennis star spoke directly after her grandmother and said, "I think it's sad that I'm here protesting the same thing that she did 50-plus years ago." - "No matter how big or small your platform is, you need to use your voice," Gauff said. "You need to not be silent because if you are choosing silence, you are choosing the side of the oppressor."
Coco Gauff may not be old enough to vote, but she's still fighting for change in America.
The 16-year-old tennis star — who rose to prominence after defeating Venus Williams in straight sets at Wimbledon in 2019 — spoke at her local peaceful protest in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday in support of the
"I demand change now," Gauff said in a video first posted to Twitter by The Palm Beach Post's Emily Sullivan. "It's sad that it takes another black man's life to be lost for all of this to happen, but we have to understand that this has been going on for years."
—Emily Sullivan (@emsulliv) June 3, 2020
Protests have emerged in cities across the United States when Floyd — an unarmed black man — died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and others kneeled on his neck and back for more than eight minutes.
And while Wednesday's rally was meant in part to commemorate Floyd and raise awareness of the injustice of his particular interaction with the police, Gauff noted that the movement is about more than just the 46-year-old.
"This is not just about
Gauff also urged those at the rally to take action beyond participating in rallies and protests.
"Yes, we're all out here protesting, and I'm not of age to vote, but it's in your hands to vote for my future, for my brothers' future, and for your future, so that's one way to make change," Gauff said. "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. King quote that said 'The silence of the good people is worse than the brutality of the bad people,'" she added. "So you need to not be silent because if you are choosing silence, you are choosing the side of the oppressor."
For Gauff, part of that work has involved "trying to educate my non-black friends on how they can help the movement," but she acknowledged that these often constitute "tough conversations."
"I've heard many things in the past week, and one of the things I've heard is 'Well, it's not my problem,'" Gauff said. "If you listen to black music, if you like black culture, if you have black friends, then this is your fight, too. It's not your job, it's not your duty to open your mouth and say 'Lil Uzi Vert's my favorite artist, but I don't care what happened to George Floyd.' Now how does that make sense?"
Gauff concluded with some powerful words — especially given her age — that elicited applause from the audience on hand.
"We must change now, and I promise to always use my platform to spread vital information, spread awareness, and fight racism," she said. "Black lives have always mattered."
- Read more:
- 16-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff delivers a powerful message on police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death
- One of Drew Brees' teammates said he 'should shut the f--- up' after comments on kneeling during the national anthem
- LeBron James texted former NBA player Stephen Jackson to support him in the wake of George Floyd's death
- The San Francisco 49ers participated in #BlackoutTuesday and fans are calling it hypocrisy after the treatment of Colin Kaepernick