Brittney Griner walked on stage to a standing ovation last night at the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California. She and her wife, Cherelle Griner took the stage in recognition for everything Griner and her family have gone through to get the WNBA athlete safely back home.
The host of the night, Queen Latifah introduced the two with a preamble about Black struggle and resilience. She said, “We stay overcoming because that’s what we do! As we gather here tonight, In the spirit of overcoming adversity, I want to take this moment to recognize someone who has done just that.”
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Among those cheering were superstars like Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, and Tracee Ellis Ross. Brittney took the standing ovation as an opportunity to shed light on the people still detained.
“It feels so good to be here, especially with my beautiful, amazing wife and with all of you here today,” she said to the audience. “I want to thank everyone, and let’s keep fighting to bring home every American detained overseas.”
Cherelle also addressed the crowd, adding, “We are just truly so thankful to all the people. Many of whom are Black women and Black-led organizations who fought so hard to bring BG home tonight.”
Griner was detained in Moscow, Russia on drug possession charges for ten months last year until her release in December.
