‘Heavy’ summer won’t leave Cloud with regrets
O’Hara’s Cloud not playing hoops, but her active summer is full in pursuit of justice
Natasha Cloud isn’t playing for the Washington Mystics in the
WNBA this season, but her summer has been busier than ever.
“It hits you different when you hear through a mother’s or a sister’s mouth the entirety of what happened, how it happened, why it happened and to hear their pain and listen to their trauma and to understand that even now, years after their daughters are gone, their lives are solely focused on bringing justice for their children.”
— Natasha Cloud on her work with the #SayHerName campaign
Depending on what week you catch up with Natasha Cloud, it can be difficult to organize all the projects she’s engaged in.
The essay she wrote for the Players Tribune after the May killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, “Your silence is a knee on my neck,” was just the beginning. It earned Cloud, the 2019 Daily Times Sports Figure of the Year, national recognition for activism that many around her already knew well.
Since then she has, in no particular order, been a visible part of national protests against systemic injustice in May, opted out of the WNBA season to focus on her activism, signed an endorsement deal with Converse, has been a guest on CNN to discuss WNBA owner and Senator Kelly Loeffler’s (R-Ga.) public disavowal of the Atlanta Dream’s embrace of Black Lives Matter, participated in a panel discussion with author Ibram X. Kendi, been profiled by the New York Times for her friendship with outspoken Wizards guard Bradley Beal, and has been the subject of a video essay by the Undefeated.
That list elides dozens of other appearances, interviews and aspects of the larger cause of racial justice that she’s lent her voice to.
Casual as the listing may be, the intent behind them is anything but. The level of vulnerability that the Cardinal O’Hara All-Delco and Saint Joseph’s grad has unearthed during a tumultuous summer has been, by her admission, exhausting at times. “It’s been a little heavy,” Cloud said recently. “And by a little, I mean a lot.”
It’s why, when pressed for the moment that most stands out, Cloud points to something intrinsically rewarding, if emotionally taxing: A recent call with the #SayHerName campaign, a group of family members, mainly mothers, who’ve lost daughters to police violence and have fought for justice and recognition.
“I sat on that call for an hour and a half, and I could’ve sat on the phone with them all night,” Cloud said. “It hits you different when you hear through a mother’s or a sister’s mouth the entirety of what happened, how it happened, why it happened and to hear their pain and listen to their trauma and to understand that even now, years after their daughters are gone, their lives are solely focused on bringing justice for their children. It was a really, really heavy moment. And after it, I sat on the phone with Aleshia (Ocasio, her fiancée) and I just cried. They made us in the W(NBA) feel like we were the heroes, that we were the strong ones. …
“That changed me, 1,000 percent. And it reminded me and recentered me on why I’m fighting
this fight. It’s for mothers like them, for the children in the community that they won’t have to be the next one, because unfortunately that’s the case. Jacob Blake won’t be the last person, and that’s the harsh reality but that’s the reality that Black Americans live every day.”
The summer’s strife has reinforced to Cloud that she made the right decision to step away from the game. Even off a career season in which the Mystics won the WNBA title, Cloud knew something had to give. The point guard would’ve been locked for nearly three months in the league’s bubble in Bradenton, Fla. Giving 100 percent on the court would’ve left nothing for the struggle off it, and the call to action was too profound to ignore.
She’s still been there for teammates. Instead of cheerleading for Elena Delle Donne’s MVP campaign from the sidelines as last year, she’s spent this season as a vocal supporter on social media, particularly for breakout campaigns by Ariel Atkins and Myisha Hines-Allen. Cloud played an advisory role in the Mystics again stepping to the vanguard of WNBA activism. When NBA players went on strike Aug. 26 to protest the shooting of Blake, the Mystics led the WNBA’s response, wearing shirts that spelled out Blake’s name and depicting seven bullet holes on the back. Atkins was the Mystics’ spokesperson.
“I challenged (Atkins) to think about it and she went back to the
team, she talked about it,” Cloud said. “Their decision to sit out wasn’t for a reflection day or a mental health day; it was to try something different. They’ve been doing Black Lives Matter on shirts on the court. They wear Breonna Taylor’s name on the back of the jerseys. They highlight women who have fallen victim to police brutality every single week. They make statements, they do media blackouts, they do everything possible to continue to shed light on these issues, and yet Black men and women that look like us continue to be killed every single day while we continue to play basketball.
“For us and the Mystics, it was, at what point do we take a drastic measure of not playing? At what point to we tell America, you will no longer be entertained by Black men and women if you ignore our cries, because when those jerseys come off, we are Black men and women and for that, our lives are always at a threat in America. I’m really proud of the decision they made. I’m extremely proud of Ariel for leading the surge and initiating that for the W.”
Cloud has navigated plenty of emotions. She admits “a lot of FOMO” watching the Mystics. She’s grateful for the support from Converse and its progressive stance, despite springing the opt-out weeks after signing a significant sponsorship deal. She’s heartened to see the WNBA getting credit for leading protests, a rare recognition given how much women in the league
risk when they chose to speak out.
While she’s taken a step back from competing, she’s relished the self-proclaimed role as “softball wife,” watching Ocasio play on the Athletes Unlimited tour. The athlete-driven league, where a pool of elite players choose sides weekly, has been a stage for Ocasio, a former University of Florida standout, to star. She’s fourth in the league’s player standings despite missing time for personal reasons.
Cloud’s exuberance in cheering on Ocasio is anything but subtle, and being able to celebrate her partner’s success is an important part of replenishing her emotional reserves for the fight she’s waging.
“It’s my first time I’ve gotten to really just sit and admire Aleshia for who she is, as not only a person but an athlete and get to support her 100 percent in her career,” Cloud said. “It’s a really beautiful thing to be able to fully support her in her endeavors and her career. It’s a source of self-care for me, to be able to sit back and turn on ESPN and watch softball again.”
It’s all in the name of a greater good, the one that was compelling enough to pull Cloud away from a game she loves. It’s a decision she has no regrets about.
“This is about amplifying and being a voice for the voiceless, using my platform that God gave me to continue to shed light on social injustices within our country,” she said. “Now more than ever, it’s needed.”