This is your chance to own a Nike tennis cap signed by tennis great Naomi Osaka.
The ACLU SoCal’s May auction will celebrate items from prominent members of the AAPI community as we celebrate AAPI history month.
As a multicultural, multiracial, Japanese Haitian-American woman, Osaka represents the modern world on and off the courts. She has used her platform in national and global arenas to bring into focus some of the most critical movements and social issues of our time. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam tennis champion and a powerful advocate fighting against racism – both anti-Black and anti-Asian and highlighting the importance of prioritizing one’s mental health. Backing out of a tournament to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake and donning face masks at the U.S. Open bearing the names of Black lives brutalized by police are examples of her deep commitment to social justice.
An entrepreneur, luminary and role model for young people across the globe. At three years old, Osaka and her family moved from Osaka to New York, before settling in Florida. She and her sister began practicing tennis with their father by day and homeschooling by night. It wasn’t long before Naomi’s grasp of the game, powerful serve and strong forehand became impossible to ignore. In 2013, Osaka went pro, representing her native Japan. Three years later, the Women’s Tennis Association named her “Newcomer of the Year.”
In 2018, on the back of her first Tour title in Indian Wells, 20-year-old Osaka played her childhood idol Serena Williams in the US Open final. She bested the 23-time Grand Slam champion in a dramatic match that sealed her first major title. The following year, she won the Australian Open, a victory that solidified her as the world’s No. 1, a first for any Asian player. She was just getting started. Today, she’s only the third person in history to have won all four of her first Grand Slam finals – winning the US Open and Australian Open twice.
At the US Open, Osaka sent a powerful message to the world of tennis and beyond. She wore seven face masks, each of them emblazoned with the name of a different black American killed by police violence. Osaka’s career catapulted her into instant stardom, where she now uses her platform not only to wow the world with exceptional tennis, but also to fight social inequity.
Please note that the ACLU of Southern California is a 501(c)4 organization and bids are not tax deductible.
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