Atlanta’s WNBA team supports Black Lives Matter after pushback from co-owner, a US senator

The players of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream jointly signed a statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, which they assert is a “statement of humanity” rather than a political position.

“We are strong and we are fearless,” the women wrote in the statement issued via their team’s Twitter account. “We offer a voice to the voiceless.”

The statement posted Friday comes after team co-owner US Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia) objected this week to the WNBA’s plans to honor the Black Lives Matter movement when the season begins this month.

“To subscribe to a particular political agenda undermines the potential of the sport and sends a message of exclusion,” she wrote.

Loeffler’s letter caused a revolt within the WNBA and led the WNBA players union wants Loeffler out of the league.

The full statement issued by the Dream players reads, “Black Lives Matter. We are the women of the Atlanta Dream. We are women who support a movement. We are strong and we are fearless. We offer a voice to the voiceless. Our team is united in the Movement for Black Lives. It is not extreme to demand change after centuries of inequality. This is not a political statement. This is a statement of humanity. Black Lives Matter. — The players of the Atlanta Dream”