Cherelle Griner expressed her gratitude at being reunited with wife Brittney Griner after the WNBA star spent 10 months detained in Russia on drug smuggling charges.
In her first heartfelt Instagram post following her spouse’s release last week and subsequent flight home to America, Cherelle expressed her appreciation to various activists and politicians, attempting to convey how grateful she is to reunite with Brittney.
“Yesterday my heart was made whole thanks to the collective efforts of MANY! I’m humbled by their hearts,” Cherelle wrote on Instagram Saturday. “To care for another, a stranger to some, a friend to some — is humanity in its purest form!”
President Joe Biden meets with Cherelle Griner in the White House Oval Office last Thursday amid news of Brittney Griner’s release from Russian detention. Cherelle Griner took to Instagram over the weekend to express gratitude to the administration and many others after being reunited with her wife. (Photo: Adam Schultz/The White House via Getty Images)
“As BG and I start our journey to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits— I wanted to personally say thank you to some of the hands; seen and unseen, that helped make it possible for me to see my wife again!” she posted.
In addition to the Biden-Harris administration and the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Cherelle went on to thank Congress members Greg Stanton, Sheila Jackson Lee and Colin Allred, as well as ABC’s Robin Roberts, theGrio’s April Ryan, CBS’s Gayle King, the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, the WNBA, USAB and Nike, and a list of others, including athletes, activists and companies.
She acknowledged “the 44 civil and human rights orgs, especially the organizations representing Black women (*Win With Black Women) and LGBTQ+ people who helped demonstrate the power of our coalition,” along with the kin of Americans still being detained by Russian forces — like supportive relatives of Paul Whelan.
“I appreciate each and every one of you! Let’s continue to use our hands, voices, platforms, and resources to bring Paul and all Americans home,” Cherelle concluded her message. “All families deserve to be whole!”
Brittney Griner, detained since February, was released from a penal colony early Thursday in a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, theGrio previously reported.
She was in Mordovia, known for its “land of prisons,” at the time of her release, serving a nine-year prison term for minor possession of cannabis after being found guilty of drug smuggling.
Following her 294-day stay, more information about Griner’s time in a Russian prison and the penal colony has come to light, including why she parted ways with her trademark locs, according to theGrio.
Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner’s attorneys, said her locs were cut off two weeks ago because they were prone to freeze. She also noted that the WNBA star had recently recovered from the flu when officials arranged a prisoner trade for her release.
“It’s very cold in there, and every time she washed her hair, she got cold and would get a chill,” Blagovolina said, according to theGrio.
Despite the freezing Russian winters and alleged inhuman conditions, Griner was said to have had no grievances.
“She had honestly no complaints,” Blagovolina said, theGrio reported. “Things could have been much worse.”
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