Naomi Osaka lashed out at the backlash she herself received for playing for her birth country Japan over the United States in the upcoming Olympics.
She spoke out in the Netflix docuseries on her life, reported the Business Insider.
“I’ve been playing under the Japan flag since I was 14. It was never even a secret that I’m going to play for Japan for the Olympics,” she said.
“So I don’t choose America and suddenly people are like, ‘Your Black card is revoked.’ And it’s like, African American isn’t the only Black, you know? I don’t know, I feel like people really don’t know the difference between nationality and race because there’s a lot of Black people in Brazil, but they’re Brazilian.”
The Independent reports Osaka moved to the United States from Japan at the age of 3, and maintained dual citizenship in both countries.
She gave up her American citizenship at the age of 22 because under Japanese law, she must choose between her two countries.
Osaka’s mom is Japanese. Her father is Haitian. She was born in Japan.
She has said she hopes she can make the Japanese people proud.
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Please leave Naomi and her family alone NOW! I also have a black Japanese cousin and all people matter to me. Black people this is an outrage! We have so many things to take care of and just because some one does not take sides many of you get mad. So take your anger out on COVID 19,lack of good educational and job infrastructures in this country instead of someone who stated all along that she honors both of her parents. “Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother” as well as thy self and thy community please.