Lewis Hamilton says he will remain vigilant in his fight against racial injustice as the FIA decides against investigating his tribute to Breonna Taylor at the Tuscan Grand Prix over the weekend.
“Want you to know I won’t stop, I won’t let up, I won’t give up on using this platform to shed light on what I believe is right,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank those of you who continue to support me and show love, I am so grateful.”
“But this is a journey for all of us to come together and challenge the world on every level of injustice, not only racial,” he said. “We can help make this a better place for our kids and the future generations.”
On Sunday, Hamilton wore a shirt that read “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on the front and “Say her name” on the back, along with a photo of Taylor. One day later, an FIA spokesperson told the BBC that the matter was “under active consideration,” and racing officials were trying to determine if Lewis violated the sport’s “no political statement” rule.
But now, according to CNN, the FIA said it will not investigate but instead clarify its guidelines about what will be allowed for drivers and teams before and after the race. The new guidelines are expected to be implemented ahead of the September 27 race in Russia.
When the race was over on Sunday, as Hamilton stepped out of his car, he said, “Justice for Breonna Taylor.” He also wore the shirt on the podium after winning the race.
Then in a post-race interview, Hamilton talked about Taylor’s murder. “I’ve been wanting to bring awareness to the fact there are people being killed on the street,” he said. “And someone was killed in her own house, and they were in the wrong house, and those guys are still walking free.”
The UK native also discussed being a black man in a predominantly white sport and systemic racism around the world. “I’m in a sport which is white-dominated, and there is very little diversity, for example. And with everything that happened in the states, it really brought up a lot of emotions for me,” he said.
Then later added, “A lot of people think it is only happening in the states. Yes, there is the police brutality in the states, but systemic racism is across the world.”
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