The hosts of the 2020 ESPY Awards are using their voices to speak out against racial injustice. Russell Wilson, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe opened the award show on Sunday night wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts, acknowledging Black athletes who’ve dedicated their careers to fighting for equality, and explaining that the work is far from over. “Our country’s work is not anywhere close to done. We need justice. We need true leadership. We need a change and we need it now,” Russell said. “Don’t just listen. Help.”
“Colin Kaepernick never shied away,” Sue added. “He knew that discomfort was essential to liberation and that fighting the oppression against Black people is bigger than sports.” The moving speech encouraged athletes, sports fans, and viewers to further their education about the fight for racial equality.
“We can’t let sports try and take us back to the way things were,” Megan said. “Every athlete at every level has the power to show what it looks like to fight for what is right.” Watch Russell, Sue, and Megan’s opening speech above, and bookmark this list of organizations to donate to in support of racial justice.