Natasha Cloud urges people to fight for true social change
Recently, the 28-year-old announced she would not be participating in the upcoming WNBA season, wanting to focus her energy instead on helping the Black Lives Matter movement bring about real change in the US.
“Don’t bother with the crumbs that people throw at you. T-shirts and things in the yard are crumbs. Removing statues of racist slave owners are crumbs,” she told CNN Sport.
“We need real change, whether it’s defense, whether it’s social reform within our systemic racism, oppression. Don’t take crumbs. Try for real impact.”
‘Invited to something bigger’
The Washington Mystics keeper admits the decision to leave for the upcoming season has been tough, but says she is forced to take advantage of the momentum that is currently behind the BLM movement.
He says he can have a bigger impact on the first line of marches than he can from his “bubble” in Florida – where the WNBA season is expected to play.
“It made it extremely easy to move forward, realizing I was invited to something bigger,” she added.
“I’m not just fighting for myself and my fiancé, but also for our future children, for the black community.”
Cloud says he still feels “hard” after George Floyd’s death, but says something “beautiful” can come out of such a tragedy.
“I was able to connect all my feelings that I felt, frustration, anger, sadness, fear,” she said of her essay.
“I could have been productive with that and put it down on paper and told my story and tried not only to help but also to educate people who might still have been in that quiet, neutral area.
“Because silence is part of the problem. Being neutral is choosing the side of the oppressor.”
Trump ‘makes my job even harder’
Ever since Cloud made the decision to give up the WNBA season, footwear company Converse has come out with a big gesture of support promising to cover the entire salary of the Washington Mystics keeper.
Cloud now plans to use his extra time to help educate people on the race and find ways to increase voter turnout ahead of the November presidential election.
“It makes my job even harder to spread love and spread positivity and preach to be open and open-hearted,” Cloud reflected.
“I understand that it will be extremely difficult for me to change hearts and minds when you are raised like this forever.
“But if I can change a person’s heart, a person’s perspective, then it’s a victory.”
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