Bring Brittney Griner Back Home: A Call from Interfaith Leaders

White House and U.S. Government

On February 17th, 2022 Brittney Griner, WNBA superstar and two time gold medalist, was taken into custody by Russian officers at a Moscow airport. The White House National Security Council has declared that Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained by Russian authorities.

On Wednesday, June 29th Bishop Barber attended an interfaith prayer vigil for Brittney Griner in front of the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. During this time he called for the safe return of Griner and that a group of clergy be invited to help seek her release.

Repairers of the Breach and the Kairos Center are calling for the White House to prioritize her release and ensure that she is safely brought home.

Sign the petition today!

Below is an additional petition that you can sign to demand the safe return of Brittney Griner:

To: White House and U.S. Government
From: [Your Name]

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
God has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed
-Isaiah 61:1 (NLT)

On February 17th, 2022 Brittney Griner, WNBA superstar and two time gold medalist, was taken into custody by Russian officers at a Moscow airport. The White House National Security Council has declared that Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained by Russian authorities.

On Wednesday, June 29th Bishop William Barber II attended an interfaith prayer vigil for Brittney Griner in front of the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C. During this time he called for the safe return of Griner and that a group of faith leaders be invited to help seek her release.

On July 4th, 2022 the White House received a letter from Brittney Griner. Although the full letter has not been released the following excepts have been made public:

“(As) I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I'm terrified I might be here forever,"

"On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year,"

"I realize you [President Biden] are dealing with so much, but please don't forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."

We join in solidarity with the collective efforts being taken to bring about the swift and safe return of Brittney Griner and other American detainees. We recognize the systemic injustices that have created the circumstances that have led to this injustice of her wrongful detention.

We call on the White House and all government entities to secure Brittney Griner’s safe and timely return home.

We call on Russia to stop using her as a political pawn.

We offer and will join efforts to have a delegation of diverse interfaith leaders across religious traditions to go on a humanitarian visit to Moscow, Russia to help secure her release. This visit would be coordinated with the Russian embassy and U.S. government.

Sign this petition today as we demand that the White House prioritize her release and ensure that she is safely brought home.