Missing Black womenĪs a scholar of Black women’s bodies, one of my primary concerns for Griner is whether her identity as a gay Black woman makes her a good or bad pawn. government would work more aggressively to secure her release even while the Russian legal case against Griner proceeds. Such an exchange may be in the works with Griner.Īfter nearly three months of silence on Griner, the Biden administration on May 3 declared that Griner had been “wrongfully detained” and, as such, the U.S. He was exchanged for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Marine, Reed was held for the last three years in Russia on charges stemming from an alleged fight with a Russian police officer. Though U.S.-Russia relations have gotten worse since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the unexpected release of Trevor Reed on April 28, 2022, was a positive sign for Griner’s supporters.Ī former U.S. And then the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred, and U.S.-Russian relations have become worse.Īnother American, Paul Whelan, who is white, remains in Russian detention after more than two years since his 2020 conviction on espionage charges. Speculation on the reason for Griner’s arrest centers on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged desire to use the American star as a geopolitical pawn at a time when U.S.-Russian relations were at their lowest point since the Cold War. It’s a stark contrast to her life as a millionaire athlete playing in professional basketball leagues in both the United States and, for the last seven years, Russia, where she earns nearly four times as much as her nearly US$282,000 annual WNBA salary. 17, Griner has been locked up in a Russian prison. She was charged with drug smuggling after Russian officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage. 24, 2022, Russian authorities arrested American basketball star Brittney Griner at the Moscow airport. A week before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.
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