To: Mark Parker, Chief Executive Officer of Nike, Inc.
Urge Nike to Drop Serena Williams as a Spokesperson
Nike promotes equality in sports but pays a spokesperson who blames a 16-year-old rape victim for her gang rape and who states that the rapists just "did something stupid." Nike must not continue to promote an athlete who perpetuates the ideas that athletic ability puts you above the law, that only virgins can be raped, that rape victims cause their own rape, and that rape is not a crime.
Why is this important?
A direct quote from Serena Williams about the Steubenville, Ohio events:
"Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don’t know. I’m not blaming the girl, but if you’re a 16-year-old and you’re drunk like that, your parents should teach you: Don’t take drinks from other people. She’s 16 - why was she that drunk where she doesn’t remember? It could have been much worse. She’s lucky. Obviously, I don’t know - maybe she wasn’t a virgin. But she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something. Then that’s different."