Britney Griner, a great player in the WNBA, made her first public appearance in New York City on Thursday after being released from a prison in Russia a year ago. At the Women’s Empowerment Luncheon that was held at the Sheraton Times Square as part of the annual convention of the 2023 National Action Network, Griner was the guest of honor who took everyone by complete surprise.
The Phoenix Mercury star, who is 32 years old, expressed his gratitude to “everyone in this room that came together, sent up every prayer, it reached me while I was there.”
Following Britney Griner’s arrest in Russia in 2022 on drug-related accusations, she was placed under imprisonment for a period of ten months, the most of which was served behind bars. She was freed as part of a prisoner exchange for the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, which was arranged by officials in the Biden administration.
The Reverend Al Sharpton was one of the many members of the clergy and advocates for racial justice who put pressure on the White House to free Griner. During the presentation of the prize, Sharpton singled out Griner for her bravery and unwavering commitment to the cause of justice.
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Brittney Griner is currently working on a memoir about her time spent in Russian captivity.
Griner made use of the opportunity to remind the audience of the Americans who are currently being held by Russian officials. These Americans include Paul Whalen, who was arrested in 2018, and Evan Gershkovich, who is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Gershkovich was arrested last week on espionage accusations that U.S.
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officials have deemed to be baseless. Griner reminded the audience of these Americans during his speech.
Griner stated, “I want to continue to fight in order to bring home every American citizen who is being held overseas.”
Griner recently made the announcement that she will be penning a memoir on her journey, which is certain to give further light on the conditions she faced while being held captive in Russia.
