Vanessa Bryant makes statement on George Floyd with photo of late husband Kobe
Vanessa Bryant is using her voice to demand justice in the wake of George Floyd's death.
The 46-year-old black man was killed while in police custody on Memorial Day after former police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
In a bystander's video documenting the moment, Floyd calls out repeatedly, "I can't breathe."
Vanessa Bryant shared a photo of her late husband, Kobe Bryant, wearing a shirt with the same words, which he donned in December of 2014 in support of Eric Garner, a black man who also died during an arrest.
"My husband wore this shirt years ago and yet here we are again," Vanessa Bryant captioned her post. "Life is so fragile. Life is so unpredictable. Life is too short. Let’s share and embrace the beautiful qualities and similarities we all share as people."
She urged people to "drive out hate" in the wake of Floyd's death.
"Teach respect and love for all at home and school," she continued. "Spread LOVE. Fight for change- register to VOTE. Do not use innocent lives lost as an excuse to loot. BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. #BLACKLIVESMATTER"
In 2014, the late basketball legend told reporters after a game why he was standing in solidarity with Garner.
"I think it's us supporting that movement and supporting each other as well as athletes," Kobe Bryant said. "I think the beauty of our country lies in its democracy. I think if we ever lose the courage to be able to speak up for the things that we believe in, I think we really lose the value that our country stands for."
Nearly all of Kobe Bryant's Lakers teammates wore the "I Can't Breathe" shirts.
Kobe Bryant also stated that the movement should not be limited to "a race issue" and instead be considered "a justice issue."
"You're kind of seeing a tipping point right now, in terms of social issues. It's become now at the forefront right now as opposed to being a local issue," he said. "It's really been something that has carried over and spilled into the mainstream, so when you turn on the TV and you watch the news or you follow things on social media, you don't just see African Americans out there protesting.
He went on, "It's become a thing where people are really standing up for their rights and really questioning the justice system and questioning the process of the legal system and those who have authority -- and whether or not they're abusing authority and what's the threshold to use deadly force and so forth and so on. But that's what our nation is founded on, man. We have the ability to question these things in a peaceful fashion. That's what makes us a great country. We have the ability to voice up, we have the platform to speak up, and we have the platform to affect change."
