“I never imagined me sharing my art and talking about racial injustice with my team would lead to this.”
The San Jose Sharks caught some heat on Wednesday after the NHL team tweeted a picture of their shark logo biting through a slave’s chains for Juneteenth. The image was captioned “Celebrate freedom.”
The tweet came ahead of the June 19 holiday, which will become an official National holiday on Thursday when President Joe Biden signs the legislation into law. The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, with the House voting 415-14 on Wednesday.
All votes against it came from Republicans.
The Twitter account for the Sharks marked the milestone with a new image for their #WallpaperWednesday campaign, which shows the team’s mascot breaking the chains of a slave.
Mohamed Fofana, an account manager for the Sharks, created the graphic in 2020. The design was also put on t-shirts with proceeds benefitting the African American Community Service Agency in San Jose, as reported by TheWrap.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity and the platform from the San Jose Sharks to create something from the heart to symbolize Juneteenth,” Fofana said in a statement on the NHL website.
“I never imagined me sharing my art and talking about racial injustice with my team would lead to this. I sincerely thank everyone involved and I’ll leave you with this: lead with pure intentions, lead with purpose and never dim your light because you’re afraid it may be too bright for others to see,” he added.
“The Shark biting through the chains represents the San Jose Sharks taking a stand against systemic racism and it also symbolizes the importance that professional sports organizations play in taking a stand and recognizing that change starts within,” the statement concluded.
Source: NHL team called out for Juneteenth graphic of shark breaking chains
