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Tina Charles Essay

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When looking back at all of the success of the civil rights movement, it seems that our country has come a long way on many important social issues. Whether it’s ending racial segregation in public facilities or putting an end to disenfranchisement of African Americans, our country has made many strides. That being said, our country still has a long way to go in order to reach true equality for all. Specifically, when it comes to the subject of police brutality. Throughout history, African Americans have been plagued by unfair treatment from members of law enforcement and with each passing year it seems to become an even bigger issue. In fact, it has led to the protest of many powerful members of society, including Tina Charles of the WNBA. …show more content…

For Tina Charles dealing with racism has become a regular part of her life. Like many other African Americans she has had to deal with her fair share of mistreatment, and as a result has grown thick skin in order to continue on with her everyday life. For the most part, she has managed to keep a very reserved personality type over her seven year basketball career. However, after learning of the fatal shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling she realized that she could no longer remain silent. With the help of several other WNBA players, Tina led a league wide protest against police brutality. The protest started on July 9, 2016 when members of the Minnesota Lynx showed up to pregame shootaround in warm-up shirts printed with “Black Lives Matter,” and the phrases “Change Starts With Us” and “Justice and Accountability,” This sparked nationwide outrage and quickly harsh fines were assessed to all the players that were involved. That would not hinder the cause however, as the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, and the Phoenix Mercury would continue to wear the same shirts to their games the next day. Again fines came pouring in for all the players involved, and it seemed that the WNBA had picked a side by refusing to support the cause. Frustrated by the league's lack of understanding,

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