How a car ride prompted Serena Williams to join the fight against police violence.

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'I won't be silent.'

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Full stop.

She's won 22 grand slam tennis titles, 307 victories in grand-slam play, and four Olympic gold medals. She is a dominant player, beloved by millions of fans, charities, and brands.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images.

But on Sept. 27, 2016, Williams took on a challenge she can't win alone: police violence.

In a viral Facebook post, Williams explained that she asked her nephew to drive her one day so she could work on her phone between meetings.

Two people embrace during a demonstration for Philando Castile outside the governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images.

But what should've been a simple task left Williams feeling anxious and tense, something many black Americans can't help feeling at the moment.

Here's her Facebook post:

Read the full text below, emphasis mine.

Today I asked my 18 year old nephew (to be clear he's black) to drive me to my meetings so I can work on my phone...
Posted by Serena Williams on Tuesday, September 27, 2016

"Today I asked my 18 year old nephew (to be clear he's black) to drive me to my meetings so I can work on my phone #safteyfirst. In the distance I saw cop on the side of the road. I quickly checked to see if he was obliging by the speed limit. Than I remembered that horrible video of the woman in the car when a cop shot her boyfriend. All of this went through my mind in a matter of seconds. I even regretted not driving myself. I would never forgive myself if something happened to my nephew. He's so innocent. So were all 'the others'
I am a total believer that not 'everyone' is bad It is just the ones that are ignorant, afraid, uneducated, and insensitive that is affecting millions and millions of lives. Why did I have to think about this in 2016? Have we not gone through enough, opened so many doors, impacted billions of lives? But I realized we must stride on — for it's not how far we have come but how much further still we have to go.
I than wondered than have I spoken up? I had to take a look at me. What about my nephews? What if I have a son and what about my daughters?
As Dr. Martin Luther King said 'There comes a time when silence is betrayal'.

I
Won't
Be
Silent
Serena"

Williams may be one of the most recognizable faces in sports, but all the money, fame, and endorsements in the world won't stop a badge or a bullet.

Flowers and a short note found at a memorial at the scene of the death of Keith Scott. Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images.

That's why she decided she couldn't be silent about this issue anymore.

Her message comes just days after the shooting deaths of Alfred Olango, Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott at the hands of police. And weeks after NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest injustices that black Americans face each day.

What does a celebrity like Williams have to lose by speaking out? Start with her life and work backward.

It's unclear how Williams will mobilize against police violence. But regardless of the method, her critics will be ready to argue, or worse.

Since Aug. 27, 2016, Kaepernick and some of the professional and amateur athletes who've joined him (including children as young as 11) have received death threats.

"If something like that were to happen, you've proved my point,” Kaepernick told The Mercury News. “It'll be loud and clear for everyone why it happened..."

Eric Reid, Colin Kaepernick, and Eli Harold of the San Francisco 49ers kneel on the sidelines during the national anthem. Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images.

That's white supremacy disguised as love of country.

"It's rude and disrespectful to protest like that," they jeer, invoking veterans and the "American way" for their cause. Still others claim it's just not the right time or place to speak out.

But there will never be a right time or place for this because these critics don't want people like Williams or Kaepernick protesting at all. They don't want a reminder that America may not look or feel the same to everyone who calls it home.

And while many people will line up to throw their support behind Serena Williams, do not begin to think this is an easy decision for her. Her fan base, endorsements, clothing line, and appearances are assuredly all in jeopardy.

This is no small move, but she's doing it anyway. That's courage.

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA.

So if Serena Williams can risk it all, what will you do?

Will you speak out? Will you march? Will you write letters? Will you lift up the voices of people of color calling for justice? Will you vote? Will you shut down your racist uncle or grandmother who "just doesn't know any better"?

People are dying. The time for hypotheticals, small moves, and silence is over.

Protesters march in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the shooting of Keith Scott by police. Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.

Ocean Wise

Be Ocean Wise

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

True

The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

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But sometimes anger is hiding something bigger than a fleeting emotion. Emma McAdam, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and host of the YouTube channel, Therapy in a Nutshell, posted a video explaining how anger and irritability can actually be a symptom of depression.

The video really breaks down how the media portrays depression versus some of the lesser known symptoms of depression. When people think of depression, they often imagine someone that's extremely sad all the time and struggling to do basic skills. But depression can show up hidden behind other symptoms like irritability, insomnia, loss of appetite, and lack of focus.

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via Wikimedia Commons

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The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.

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How a car ride prompted Serena Williams to join the fight against police violence.

'I won't be silent.'

Serena Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Full stop.

But on Sept. 27, 2016, Williams took on a challenge she can't win alone: police violence.

Here's her Facebook post:

Williams may be one of the most recognizable faces in sports, but all the money, fame, and endorsements in the world won't stop a badge or a bullet.

What does a celebrity like Williams have to lose by speaking out? Start with her life and work backward.

That's white supremacy disguised as love of country.

So if Serena Williams can risk it all, what will you do?

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

30 dump truck loads and two years later, the forest looks totally different.

Sometimes anger is hiding something bigger than a fleeting emotion.

The safe was stolen 22 years ago.

Here’s what people facing food insecurity want you to know about solving the hunger problem in America

Sorry, but you can't drive from New York to LA.

1. Watch for wildlife

2. Don't underestimate the 'rural-ness'

3. America is huge

4. You can't drive from NY to LA

5. Give us space

6. Forget the stereotypes

7. Don't travel with pot

8. Avoid the chains

9. Avoid sensitive topics

10. Be sure to tip

11. Don't get the large

12. Buy travel insurance

13. Be careful around police

The other dogs can't believe what they are seeing.

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