WNBA Pushes Ahead with Social Justice Campaign Amid Racial Unrest.
BALDWIN: At least 20 pro basketball arenas all around the country will be actively involved in this upcoming election by converting into polling places or voter registration sites. It is the latest action in a year filled with unprecedented and historic sports activism led undoubtedly by the players from the WNBA and the NBA. Standing up for social justice has been so much more than a talking point for WNBA players. It's really been a call to action. And this year the league developed a council and platform dedicated to advancing social justice and promoting conversations about societal and racial issues. Every aspect of the WNBA's 2020 season is about social justice. And every game is in honor of the "Black Lives Matter" movement and the "Say Her Name" campaign. With me now Sue Bird, a WNBA legend, an all-star playing for the Seattle Storm. So Sue, good to have you on, welcome.</s>SUE BIRD, 3 TIME WNBA CHAMPION: Thank you, thanks for having me.</s>BALDWIN: Sue, the WNBA has dedicated this entire season to Breonna Taylor. But for people who don't know like the WNBA players have been speaking out for years. Back in 2016 the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty players wore the "Black Lives Matter" matters shirts after the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. They were actually fined for uniform violations which were later ultimately rescinded. You as we have spoken in the past, you have been extra vocal as well. Can you tell me why you and so many others in your league have been so willing to speak out and even more so than other sports organizations?</s>BIRD: Yes, I mean, plainly said it's in our DNA at this point. You know, I think as female athletes so often we're overlooked. We're judged on everything but our basketball play. You know whether it's, oh, they need to wear tighter uniforms. Oh, they're too masculine. You name it. So, the fact that our league is predominantly black, you know, a lot of gay players as well. We're just used to this, sadly. So, you know, for us it's just kind of what we're about. And we came to this wubble, this bubble because we wanted to say her name. Because so often women are forgotten.</s>BALDWIN: You point out though the league is majority black. It's 80 percent black women. And I know that, you know, each and every day on this show I have a privilege of speaking to a number of African- American women. And many of them tell me, you know, despite everything that this country has been going through, especially this summer, that America just hasn't been listening to them, that they have felt silenced in this country. And I'm curious for you, you know, what does it mean for these 144 women, 80 percent of whom are black, your own teammates, your close friends to get together and raise their voices on such a personal issue. Do they feel, Sue, that America is listening?</s>BIRD: You know, I hope so. I think what's unique about where we are right now as a basketball league is, we have a chance. Because obviously there's a lot of conversation on whether sports should've returned. And maybe each league, each person can kind of, you know, make an argument one way or the other. For us when we play basketball, that's when we have the platform. When we play basketball, that's when our voices are heard. And you know what, like we just talked about, we've been doing this. But now in this moment it feels like people are paying attention. So in some ways we're using the game of basketball, a game we love, but we're using it so our voices can just continue to get amplified. Because, again, we've been doing this. I mean and women are overlooked. It's just sadly a reality. And the women in our league as black women, you know, you talk about people you're speaking to on your show. They feel the same way. They feel they take their uniform off, they're just black women in America who are forgotten. So here we are again just fighting for that visibility.</s>BALDWIN: Talk about just unity in the WNBA. You mentioned the bubble or the wubble you're living in this season. You know, you're all physically in the same place. You have just gone through months of, you know, tough CBA negotiations together. But, Sue, is there something more? Like what's the special sauce that allowed you all to come together to make this statement as a league? Do you think it's your strong leadership, or do you think, as you point out, you're a lot of women, black women, gay women, who have been used to, you know, maybe being put in your corners for so long and having to really use your voices?</s>BIRD: Yes, I mean I think it's a combination of all of that. The word that always comes up is intersexuality and sectionality and that's had who we are. And I think for me personally like as a gay athlete, it's like if I'm fighting for this kind of equality, how can I not fight for all the other kinds of equality. You know, whether it's for black people, for trans people. You name it. And that's what our league is really about. I mean, the best thing about sports is, you know, we see that people are different colors. We see that people are different religions, sexual orientation. We respect it. We respect it. That's the difference. We don't go out there and say we don't see it. Perfect life. We respect those differences and we're still able to fight for each other. Go out there and play and so forth.</s>BALDWIN: Last question for you. President Trump -- I got to ask -- President Trump has been belittling professional athletes for standing up for racial justice. You know, not once has he said that he is proud of you all or proud of Americans for putting themselves out there, for taking a stand for positive change. Sue Bird, what would you like to say back to President Trump?</s>BIRD: I mean I think at this point we all understand that politics right now and people wanting to win elections is superseding any kind of morals, any king of you know seeing what is happening to our country. Sadly, we've had to face people like President Trump in our own league. We have an owner, you know, basically tell us not to say that "Black Lives Matter," trying to make it a political statement, not a moral one. So, I don't know, as a league, all I'd like to say is we're continue to do what we do. We're going to continue to amplify our voices, continue to say her name and that's what we're about. So, you know if you don't like it, turn away. But we're not going anywhere.</s>BALDWIN: And to get people out and to vote. Sue, thank you.</s>BIRD: Yes. No problem. Thanks for having me.</s>BALDWIN: Coming up, Pete Buttigieg reacts to that report accusing President Trump of making disparaging remarks about fallen soldiers. But first Anderson Cooper introduces us to CNN Heroes fighting coronavirus in Africa.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): These CNN Heroes are hard at work, temporarily transforming a business to provide and push for safety measures in Ethiopia.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have produced over 50,000 closed masks to help out the most vulnerable women and children in our community. And I speak out the need to wear mask and social distance.</s>COOPER: Bringing medical care and crucial awareness to remote areas of Kenya.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of misinformation that it's a disease that's not going to come all the way to the rural areas. Information sharing is the number one key. We set up all the billboards covering in the entry ways of Lamu covering the messaging around COVID-19.</s>COOPER: And providing supplies and protective gear to those that need it most in Cameroon.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We focus today internally displaced population due to the crisis in Cameroon. We focus to orphanage and I hope this work will reduce the number of people who die due to coronavirus. That's my dream.</s>BALDWIN: If you'd like to learn more, go to CNNheroes.com. We will be right back.