Lewis Hamilton wears Breonna Taylor shirt after winning Tuscan Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton wore a shirt calling for the arrest of the police officers who shot Breonna Taylor after he won the Formula 1 Tuscan Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton tweeted a picture of himself wearing the shirt that said “Arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor” before the race.
#JusticeForBreonnaTaylor ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/VdM2fAiLTB
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) September 13, 2020
And then the seven-time Formula 1 champ wore the shirt hours later after winning his sixth race of the season. The back of the shirt had Taylor’s face and “Say Her Name.” Taylor was shot in her home as she slept while police officers were attempting to serve a warrant to someone else.
Numerous athletes in American sporting events have worn apparel honoring Taylor and urging the arrest of the Louisville, Kentucky, officers who killed her. But given Hamilton’s status as one of the most famous athletes in the world and Formula 1’s status as the biggest racing series in the world, his protest on Sunday may be the biggest one yet on a world sports stage.
Hamilton has used his platform to advocate against racism and for equality since Formula 1 started its season in June. He’s routinely worn shirts that say “Black Lives Matter” before races and his Mercedes team painted its two cars black this year in honor of the movement for racial equality.
When Mercedes unveiled the cars before the season it said in a statement that it realized that it needed to have a more diverse workforce reflective of the world as a whole.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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