If you know Martina Navratilova, you know that she’s the best. The nine-time Wimbledon singles champion shattered records throughout her career, and cemented herself as an all-time great. “I used to play tennis pretty well,” she says today, by way of an introduction.
But you may not know that she was born in communist Czechoslovakia, and raised in the shadow of a totalitarian regime. When she defected to the United States in 1975, the “Pride of Prague” says she was inspired by the example of freedom, dignity, and democracy that America set on the world stage.
Now that’s all changed. Authoritarianism follows a certain pattern as it marches through institutions, corrupting them and distorting their democratic character. People who have seen it metastasize abroad are watching with dread what is happening in our country right now. Martina is one of them.
That’s why today, Home of the Brave launched a new video featuring the tennis star speaking out against Donald Trump’s authoritarian presidency, and calling on others to use their voices to push back. She talks about what it’s like to grow up in a totalitarian country, and the warning signs that the US is headed in the same direction. Martina says:
“I am pissed off as hell about people capitulating to Trump … This was the freest country in the world when I defected in 1975. If this was the situation for me now, I would definitely not choose to live here … When you leave a totalitarian regime and you come to a freedom-loving country, of course you have to speak up. Speaking out is the patriotic thing to do. When you see something wrong, don’t be afraid.”
Home of the Brave’s mission is to compel Americans from all walks of life to speak out about the dangers of this administration and the consequences of Trump’s disastrous policies. In times of crisis, it takes leaders of all stripes to step into the breach and say no to the authoritarians. Martina Navratilova is one of them.
If you want to be part of this fight with us, please consider supporting Home of the Brave today:
Home of the Brave is an initiative dedicated to highlighting the harms of Trump’s second term.
