From left: Dan Crenshaw and Gwen Berry.Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Olympic hammer throwerGwen Berryfound herself at the center of political debates this week, drawing both criticism and praise from lawmakers for turning away from the American flag during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
Berry, 32, won a bronze medal on Saturday at the U.S. track and field trials, securing her spot in theTokyo Olympicsnext month.
But the two-time Olympian made another set of headlines for protesting, turning away from the flag and raising a T-shirt over her head that read “Activist Athlete” while the anthem played.
On Monday, Republican lawmakers bashed Berry over the protest.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, of Texas, also told the network he believed Berry “should be removed from the team,” causing the hammer thrower to respond on Twitter.
“At this point, y’all are obsessed with me,” Berrywrote, sharing a video of Crenshaw, 37, criticizing her. She also retweeted a post from one of her supporters that said “Dan can kiss my a–.”
At the White House, Berry found more support.
“I haven’t spoken to [PresidentJoe Biden] specifically about this, but I know he’s incredibly proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and all that it represents, especially for our men and women serving in uniform all around the world,” Psaki, 42, said.
“He would also say, of course, that part of that pride in our country means recognizing there are moments where we, as a country, haven’t lived up to our highest ideals, and it means respecting the right of people, granted to them in the Constitution, to peacefully protest,” Psaki added.
Gwen Berry.Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Athletes protesting social issues on the Olympic stagehas a long history.
After her protest on Saturday — which Berrytold ESPNwas unplanned and “felt like a setup,” because she wasn’t expecting the anthem to be played while she turned away from the flag — she told thePost: “It’s really important for me and my community just to be able to represent.”
“I think sports is a distraction. Sports is entertainment,” Berry said. “But my purpose and my voice and mission is bigger than the sport. So me being able to represent my communities and my people and those who have died at the hands of police brutality, those who have died to this systemic racism, I feel like that’s the important part.”
“That’s why I’m going,” Berry added. “And that’s why I was here today.”
source: people.com
