“You’re a beautiful Black Queen”: LeBron James Uplifts Young Swimmer Who Was Willing To Get Disqualified For Wearing “Black Lives Matter” Swimwear
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Leidy Gallona and LeBron James in BLM Apparel
LeBron James came out on twitter to support 12-year-old Leidy Gallona who was about to be disqualified for wearing a swimsuit which had “Black Lives Matter” printed on it, but managed to compete in the event despite what authorities said was against their policies of “no political language”.
An independent volunteer for the Duluth YMCA almost disqualified Leidy Gallona as she rocked her Black Lives Matter swimsuit and wanted to compete in it, in order to show solidarity with 22-year-old Amir Locke who was shot and killed in an incident by the Minneapolis Police Department which currently serves a no-knock warrant, which means that the authorities can enter an establishment without prior intimation to the occupant.
With the controversial warrant in place and the killing of the young Amir Locke, Gallona chose to wear the Black Lives Matter swimsuit she made herself and faced backlash from the authorities for wearing it.
Leidy Gallona allowed to compete after Official warns of disqualification
The 12-year-old Leidy Gallona who wore her Black Lives Matter swimsuit in order to support the cause for people to not be killed after the Amir Locke incident, was denied participation in the event and was warned of immediate disqualification if she didn’t change the apparel which according to the official was “political” in nature, and the authority to decide what was political and what wasn’t lied completely in the hands of the official, as stated by her.
Even despite the stringent warning, Gallona chose to wear the same swimsuit come what may, and decided to stand up for what she felt was right, and what she felt was needed to be done.
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Gallona’s mother Sarah Lyons who was also present with the swimmer during this encounter stated that Gallona chose to wear the Black Lives Matter swimsuit with intention. She added, “The easy thing to do would’ve been to take the suit off, and she chose not to do that. She chose to stand up for what she thinks is right. It’s a proud mama moment for sure.” Adding to which Gallona said, “Black people that are getting killed, their lives matter because they were, their lives were taken from them. So, I think it’s respectful to show that I matter; everyone that’s Black matters too,”
Gallona’s actions were supported by the Duluth NAACP head who organised the event at the Superior High School, Minneapolis, which resulted in overturning of the decisions of the Official, and also resulted in their removal.
The Duluth YMCA also gave a statement, saying “The Duluth YMCA is saddened that the student, their family, and teammates had to endure this unacceptable behaviour. The Duluth YMCA will continue our ongoing commitment to train all staff and volunteers on diversity, equity, and inclusion…”
Let us take a closer look at what LeBron James had to say for Leidy Gallona and her intentions behind the strong gesture which shall be marked as a pillar event in the Black Lives Matter campaign.
LeBron James has words of encouragement for Leidy Gallona
After what was termed as the victory of the Leidy’s honest and pure intentions, LeBron James came out in support of the young swimmer, showering her with words of praise and encouragement which went viral on social media.
LeBron Said, “Leidy, you’re a Beautiful Black Queen, keep going and keep inspiring” in reaction to a picture of her rocking the Black Lives Matter swimsuit.
LeBron James in the past has also been very vocal of his support to the Black Lives Matter campaign and has made a fair share of contributions to it by helping them raise their voice to gather support through the wide reach that he has. In the past, LeBron James once stated, “A lot of people kind of use this analogy, talking about Black Lives Matter as a movement. It’s not a movement. When you’re Black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle.” Which highlights the strong feelings of support the player has towards the campaign and his desire to help the people advocating for it.
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Harshit Singh
(434 Articles Published)