Members of the Brooklyn community
came together on Sunday for a basketball game at St. Johns Park to support
womens rights.
“Ballin for
Womens Rights” was hosted in
support of Britney Griner, a 31-year-old WNBA player for the Phoenix
Mercury, was convicted
last month after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil
in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. She was sentence to nine years in prison.
This game is also in honor of Sha-Asia Washington Semple, a
Brooklyn woman who died during childbirth at Woodhull hospital in 2020. Since then, her name has been on the forefront for organizations
fighting for women’s reproductive rights, especially African American women.
According to the CDC, African American women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women.
All the funds raised from Sundays game will go toward helping Sha-Asias 2-year-old daughter,
Chloe.