Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Naomi Osaka said she cried watching messages of thanks from the parents of Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery after her latest US Open win

Meredith Cash
7 hours ago THE INSIDER
Naomi Osaka has kept the spotlight on police brutality during the US Open by wearing masks bearing the names of high-profile victims of gun violence. Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Naomi Osaka has kept the spotlight on police brutality in the United States by wearing masks printed with the names of high-profile victims of gun violence during each round of this year's US Open.

So far, she's donned masks bearing the names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin, and Ahmaud Arbery.

After her quarterfinal victory Tuesday, Osaka watched video messages of Martin's mother and Arbery's father thanking the two-time Grand Slam champion for raising awareness about violence against Black people.

Though she was smiling and composed during the broadcast, Osaka later revealed that she "cried so much" once she was off camera.

"It was really emotional," Osaka said during a post-match press conference. "At first I was a bit in shock, but now that I'm here and I took the time I'm really grateful and I'm really humbled."


Naomi Osaka has been absolutely clinical on the court during her run through the 2020 US Open, but her off-court activism has taken an emotional toll.

The 22-year-old tennis superstar has kept the spotlight on police brutality and gun violence in the United States by wearing masks printed with the names of high-profile victims during each round of the New York-based major.

Through the quarterfinals of the tournament, she's donned masks dedicated to Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin, and Ahmaud Arbery.
Naomi Osaka wears a custom-made mask bearing Trayvon Martin's name. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

After Osaka's 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Shelby Rogers Tuesday evening, ESPN played video messages from Sybrina Fulton and Marcus Arbery — the mother of Trayvon Martin and the father of Ahmaud Arbery, respectively.


At 17 years old, Martin was shot and killed by self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman while walking home from a local convenience store on February 26, 2012. Eight years later, Arbery — a 25 year old Black man — was hunted down by white vigilantes while he was jogging in his neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia.

In short clips aired on Tuesday night's broadcast, the pair thanked the two-time Grand Slam champion for her commitment to bringing attention to their slain sons and the gun violence that continues to plague the country.
Naomi Osaka dons a mask bearing Breonna Taylor's name. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

"I just want to say thank you to Naomi Osaka for representing Trayvon Martin on your customized mask," Fulton said. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Continue to do well. Continue to kick butt at the US Open. Thank you."

"Naomi, I just want to tell you thank you for the support of my family," Arbery added. "And God bless you for what you're doing."

—Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 9, 2020

Osaka smiled and kept her composure while watching the clips and reacting on camera. She commended both Fulton and Arbery for their continued strength in the wake of their familial tragedies and told the interviewer that it "means a lot" to hear from them both.

"I feel like I'm a vessel at this point in order to spread awareness," Osaka said on the broadcast. "It's not gonna dull the pain, but hopefully I can help with anything that they need."

But in a tweet sent out later in the evening, Osaka said that she became extremely emotional once they stopped filming.

"I tried to hold it in on set but after watching these back I cried so much," she wrote.

—NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) September 9, 2020

The 2018 US Open champion — whose father is Haitian and mother is Japanese — echoed similar sentiments in her post-match press conference. She said she was "just trying really hard not to cry" while on camera and described Fulton's and Arbery's messages as "surreal" and "extremely touching."

"I feel like what I'm doing is nothing — it's a speck of what I could be doing," Osaka told reporters.

"It was really emotional. At first I was a bit in shock, but now that I'm here and I took the time I'm really grateful and I'm really humbled."
—US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2020

Osaka has said she will continue to wear the masks throughout the US Open. She'll return to Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday to take on 28th seed Jennifer Brady for a trip to the final.

Read more:
Naomi Osaka wore a Breonna Taylor mask heading into her first-round US Open victory

Naomi Osaka Wins Thanks From Black Victims’ Families For Wearing Masks With Their Names At U.S. Open

Carlie Porterfield
Forbes Staff
Business
I cover breaking news

TOPLINE 

Naomi Osaka, the tennis champion working her way through the rounds of the U.S. Open, received a heartfelt surprise Tuesday night when the parents of Travyvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery thanked her for wearing face masks with their names and those of other Black victims of violence before and after her matches in a bid to draw attention to police brutality and racism in the U.S.

Naomi Osaka wears a mask with the name of George Floyd on it on Tuesday at the U.S. Open in New York ... [+] GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS

Throughout the U.S. Open, Osaka has worn face masks emblazoned with the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin, Black people who died either at the hands of the police or in violent struggles with whites believed to be motivated by racism.

On Tuesday night, broadcaster ESPN showed Osaka pre-recorded messages from parents of two of the people whose names Osaka wore.Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, thanked her for representing her son and other victims on her masks, saying “we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Continue to do well, continue to kick butt at the U.S. Open.” 

“Naomi, I just want to tell you thank you for the support for my family and God bless you for what you’re doing,” Ahmaud Arbery Sr., Arbery’s father, told her. “My family really, really appreciates that.”

“It means a lot,” Osaka, who was born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, said in response to the videos. “They’re so strong. I’m not sure what I would be able to do if I was in their position. I feel like I’m a vessel at this point to spread awareness. It’s not going to dull the pain, but hopefully I can help with anything that they need.”

Later on Twitter, Osaka said she was moved to tears by the video messages—and that she prepared seven masks to wear with seven names, one for each round of the U.S. Open if she progresses to the finals.

KEY BACKGROUND

Osaka is no stranger to advocating for causes she believes in, both on and off the court. In August, she announced she would forgo the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open tournament to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. “If I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction,” Osaka said. The entire tournament later followed her lead and paused play for an entire day. “As a sport, tennis is taking a stand against racial inequality and social injustice,” the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour said in a statement.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“I tried to hold it in on set but after watching these back I cried so much,” Osaka shared later on Twitter. “The strength and the character both of these parents have is beyond me. Love you both, thank you.”

FURTHER READING

Naomi Osaka Drops Out Of Tennis Tournament Semifinal To Protest Police Brutality (Forbes)

Naomi Osaka Is The Highest-Paid Female Athlete Ever, Topping Serena Williams (Forbes)

Naomi Osaka’s Powerful Tribute to Victims of Police Violence
By Hannah Gold THE CUT

Photo: Getty Images

Last month, Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete in the world, effectively shut down the Women’s Tennis Association for a couple days by announcing she would strike alongside other professional sports players in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since then, Osaka has continued her activism for victims of police brutality on the court by wearing a series of face masks emblazoned with the names of Black men and women who have been killed by cops and armed vigilantes. Osaka brought seven masks with seven different names to the tournament, prepared to wear one for each match. So far she has worn five: Breonna TaylorElijah McClainGeorge FloydAhmaud Arbery, and Trayvon Martin.

What Naomi Osaka is doing at the US Open this year is powerful. pic.twitter.com/SqMMF1qRk5— Lynn V 😷 (@lynnv378) September 7, 2020

After winning her U.S. Open quarterfinals match on Tuesday, Osaka appeared on ESPN, where she was surprised with a video message from the mother of Trayvon Martin and the father of Ahmaud Arbery. Martin was 17 when he was murdered by neighborhood-watch coordinator George Zimmerman in 2012; Arbery, 25, was jogging in his neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, earlier this year when two white men in a pickup truck chased him down and shot him dead. Three suspects have been charged in connection with Arbery’s murder.

Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, said in the video message, “I just want to say thank you to Naomi Osaka for representing Trayvon Martin on your customized mask, and also for Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Continue to do well. Continue to kick butt at the U.S. Open.” Marcus Arbery Sr. said in a separate message, “God bless you for what you’re doing and you supporting our family with my son. My family really, really appreciates that.”

Osaka, visibly moved upon seeing the videos, responded first by saying, “It means a lot … They’re so strong. I’m not sure what I would be able to do if I was in their position. I feel like I’m a vessel, at this point, in order to spread awareness, and it’s not going to dull the pain, but hopefully I can help with anything they need.” Later, in a news conference, Osaka reflected again on that moment, saying, “I was just trying really hard not to cry. It’s extremely touching that they would feel touched by what I’m doing.

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