Black Women, Brittney Griner is Released From Russia
A prisoner exchange with Russia leads to the WNBA star’s After 10 months of uncertainty, WNBA champion Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian prison in a 1-for-1 prisoner swap. According to CBS News, a deal to exchange the basketball star for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was made on Dec. 1. The swap took place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates. Once she was back in US custody, Griner spoke to her wife Cherelle and President Biden on the phone.
Back in July, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the U.S. made a “substantial offer” to Russia, but didn’t give details on what exactly was discussed. Rumors swirled that the deal was to swap Brittney and former Marine Paul Whelan for Bout. Since this has been the assumption that everyone has been working under, there are questions and criticisms about why Whelan was not included in the swap. During a press conference at the White House, President Biden explained that for unknown reasons Russia is treating his case differently.
In the weeks to come, we’ll get more details on the talks between the two countries and at some point, Brittney may want to tell her story, but let’s never forget that it was women, primarily the Black women she plays with in the WNBA, who made sure Griner’s plight was never forgotten. Black women kept the pressure on President Biden, kept the story in the news and used their platforms to make sure Brittney’s name trended around the world. This is what happens when Black women take the reins and get stuff done.
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