Lewis Hamilton intends to continue playing a role as a Black Lives Matter activist during the 2021 Formula 1 season, urging the fight for change to continue.
The Mercedes driver wrote on Twitter today: “Black Lives Matter. Last year some of us took a knee in support of equality which I am proud of.
“My question is, what’s next? The inequities within our sport and within the world persist. Change is still needed. We must keep pushing to hold ourselves and others accountable. We have to keep striving for equality for all, in order to continue to see true and lasting change in our world.
“As long as I have air in my lungs, I will continue to fight for change in everything I do. I will work to create pathways and opportunities for kids of colour, within sciences, engineering and creative disciplines. Let’s keep pushing.
“What are you committed to?” Hamilton asks his followers in the tweet.
The message can be interpreted as a rallying cry of sorts from the seven-time F1 world champion ahead of Bahrain pre-season testing and the Grand Prix, next month, on the Island kingdom whose human rights activists have approached Hamilton to take up their cause.
One such approach includes the case of 11-year-old Ahmed Ramadhan, who wrote to Hamilton for help. His father Mohammed, a security guard, was sentenced in 2014 over the death of a policeman. Human rights groups say the conviction was based on confessions extracted through torture.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 26, 2021