O’Hara grad Cloud strikes deal with Converse
Natasha Cloud’s advocacy has always been about making the most of her platform. She doesn’t have the biggest platform in the world, she’s always conscious to remind you, but she’s devoted to maximizing the reach of her message.
Monday, that platform got a little bigger.
Converse announced the signing of Cloud, a graduate of Cardinal O’Hara and Saint Joseph’s University and a Broomall native, to a sneaker deal, the first women’s basketball player signed by Converse.
The announcement of the deal had been on hold, with Cloud and Converse respecting last week’s unrest across the country by delaying making the deal public.
Cloud has drawn attention as a prominent voice in athletes’ global response to the killing of George
Floyd by Minneapolis police, calling for racial justice and systemic reform. Cloud penned an essay for the Players Tribune titled, “Your silence is a knee on my neck,” and discussed the essay and her larger activism in great detail with the Daily Times last week. The 2019 Sports Figure of the Year, Cloud carried a sign with an oft-quoted line from her essay, “If you’re silent, I don’t (expletive) with you,” to protests this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Converse’s social media post announcing the sponsorship linked to Cloud’s essay and stated that it was “one of many reasons we are both proud and humbled to welcome WNBA champion @t__cloud9 to the family.” Cloud announced the partnership on her Instagram page with the caption, “Beyond humbled and blessed to be apart [sic] of a family that embraces every facet of ME #blacklivesmatter”.
“Cloud is known for extending her influence through leadership efforts that place emphasis on being a voice for the voiceless, specifically using her platform to speak out against the racial injustices that are killing Black people in America, while also advocating for equality for women and the LGBTQ+ community, and working to guide youth in her communities,” Converse wrote in a press release. “As with all members of the Converse family, our goal is to serve as a both a canvas for their creative vision and to spark progress in their communities. We look forward to amplifying her voice for the causes she believes in and will keep you updated on our community efforts following our recent commitment.”
Converse President and CEO G. Scott Uzzell last week committed to partner with Nike and the Jordan brand to raise $40 million over the next four years supporting black communities, including donations to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Equal Justice Initiative.