Nike celebrates Black women with We Play Real film

Nike on Monday released a film titled We Play Real, to celebrate Black women in sport. Launched on International Women’s Day,

The campaign is narrated by actress Dominique Fishback and celebrates Black women and their resilience and fortitude to impact the world. Athletes that appear in the film include Serena Williams, A’ja Wilson, Naomi Osaka, Seimon Augustus, Simone Manuel, Sheryl Swoopes and Diamond DeShields.

In addition to the video, Nike will be hosting a social campaign designed to elevate black voices and a pitch competition in partnership with Black Girl Ventures — a non-profit organization that aims to provide black and brown woman-identifying founders with access to community and capital, reported Footwear News.

In June last year Nike announced a 40 million dollar commitment to support the Black community in the U.S. by supporting organizations that put social justice, education and addressing racial inequality in America at the center of their work.

“Systemic racism and the events that have unfolded across America over the past few weeks serve as an urgent reminder of the continued change needed in our society. We know Black Lives Matter. We must educate ourselves more deeply on the issues faced by Black communities and understand the enormous suffering and senseless tragedy racial bigotry creates,” said John Donahoe, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc. “The NIKE, Inc. family can always do more but will never stop striving to role model how a diverse company acts. We will continue our focus on being more representative of our consumers while doing our part in the communities we serve.”

Nike in a statement said: “Our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”

Image: Nike