Coco Gauff delivers moving speech at Black Lives Matter rally in her hometown
Tennis star Coco Gauff pointed back at her grandmother while delivering a speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in Del Ray, Florida.
"I think it's sad that I'm here protesting the same thing that she did 50-plus years ago," Gauff said.
At the rally, Gauff spoke about racial injustice and how people can use their voices to create change.
"I'm here to tell you guys that we must first love each other no matter what," she said. "We must have the tough conversations with our friends. I've been spending all week having tough conversations, trying to educate my non-black friends on how they can help the movement."
"Second, we need to take action. Yes, we are all here protesting and I'm not of age to vote, but it is in your hands to vote for my future, for my brother's future, and for your future. So, that's one way to make change," she added.
Gauff wowed the world in 2019 when she became the youngest player to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, and she also made headlines for defeating Venus Williams in the first round of the 2020 Australian Open.
"This is not just about George Floyd. 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. So, we must change now."
Since posting her speech on Twitter, her video has been viewed over 120,000 times and has received over 7,000 likes.
Belgian professional tennis player, Kim Clijsters commented on Gauff's post with, "Thank you for being a girl that my daughter will learn from and look up to. I promise that we will keep on teaching our kids the right thing to do so that they can pass it on too. It all starts at home"
Gauff has also spoken out on other social media platforms such as Instagram. "When will it stop?, she captioned a photo including black men that have lost their lives at the hands of racial injustices. "When will we be seen as human and not a threat? Rest in Peace to all of the beautiful souls whose lives were ended short due to racism. All lives will not matter until society proves they actually care about black lives."
