Published 17:22 IST, June 4th 2020
Coco Gauff advises Roger Federer to 'Educate Himself' after his 'Black Lives Matter' post
Coco Gauff, in response to tennis great Roger Federer's black square post on George Floyd's killing by police officers in US, shared a link 'Ways to Help'.
Rising American tennis star Coco Gauff has responded to Roger Federer's Instagram post on Black Lives Matter by telling the former World No.1 about a detailed list of practical ways in which people like him might be able to help the cause. Coco Gauff posted a TikTok video on her official Twitter handle in which she said she would always use the platform to help make the world a better place and the video is her voice to fight against racism.
The teenager has become one of the most outspoken players on the subject of the United States' recent riots over racism by posting videos on social media and calling for racial discrimination to end.
Black Lives Matter: Details about George Floyd's death
George Floyd suffered a cardiac arrest while being restrained by Minneapolis police, the post mortem report found. The report stated that Floyd died as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". A video went viral in which a white police officer is seen kneeling on Floyd's neck despite Floyd's continuous plea stating that he could not breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court this week. Three other police officers have been fired.
Black Lives Matter: Coco Gauff responds to Roger Federer's post
Roger Federer posted a black square in protest against the killing of the unarmed black man George Floyd by Minneapolis Police's Derek Chauvin. Coco Gauff responded to Roger Federer's black square post by sharing a link named 'Ways to Help'. The list of options included signing petitions, donations and providing more resources for protesters. The link's thumbnail had an important message that said, "When you're done: Educate Yourself. This doesn't go away once the topic isn't 'trending'."
Coco Gauff gives a speech at Black Lives Matter peaceful rally
Extending her support towards the George Floyd death protestors, Coco Gauff on Wednesday gave a powerful speech during the Black Lives Matter peaceful rally at Delray Beach, Florida. In her speech, Gauff asked people to not be silent, because if silence is chosen, the oppressor is made to win. Here is Coco Gauff's entire speech -
Roger Federer faced flak from another teen activist, Greta Thunberg
While Coco Gauff said that she was inspired by the popular teen Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg last year, it is not the same with Roger Federer. While Gauff's 'criticism' towards Federer's post can be viewed as constructive,Thunberg directly roasted Federer earlier this year for endorsing Credit Suisse, a Swiss banking company which reportedly supports usage of fossil fuels across industries, providing $57 billion as credit to companies in 2019. Federer seemed to be taken back but responded to her in style by claiming that he takes climate change very seriously and will speak to his sponsors before taking action on the issue. The tennis great's response to Gauff remains to be seen though.
(IMAGE: COCO GAUFF / ROGER FEDERE / INSTAGRAM)
Updated 17:22 IST, June 4th 2020