Washington D.C. has been in the news lately with a bold statement painted on the street near the White House that says plainly: BLACK LIVES MATTER. The street was also renamed Black Lives Matter plaza and has brought in people from all over to see the street mural.
That includes a young figure skater who wanted to inspire and touch the world the best way she knew how.
Down at Black Lives Matter plaza, 9-year-old Figure Skater Kaitlyn Saunders created a touching tribute to the movement with her skating skills. Kaitlyn improvised an entire routine to Andra Day’s “Rise Up,” which is one of her favorite songs. The message behind the song is that we should be optimistic that we will indeed rise up in spite of our current circumstances. For Black people in this country, we need that reminder we need right now. “I think it’s amazing how people can change the world by doing such little things like making a skating routine and I also think it’s amazing that I can skate on such a historic place,” she shared in an interview with NBC4 Washington.
I think it’s absolutely beautiful and wonderful to see this girl expressing herself through her craft. Kaitlyn has been working with the Diversify Ice Foundation, an ice skating club in Maryland, since 2017, and clearly has incredible talent. It’s the love and hope behind this routine, though, that really warmed my heart, especially with everything that’s going on right now.
Watch her beautiful moves below!
View this post on InstagramA week ago, the D.C.’s Mayor Bowser @mayor_bowser had the words Black Lives Matter painted on 16th street in front of the White House. She said her hope is that we can all speak up and protect each other. I wanted to share my hope for the future. At 5:30am while the streets were still empty, my parents and I went down to Black Lives Matter Plaza to record this video. I decided to skate to one of my favorite songs, “Rise Up” by Andra Day. I skated to the song based on what I was feeling. . Thanks to Vernon Davis @thedavisworldtour for lending your camera and talents. . . #figureskatersforfreedom #figureskatersforjustice #blacklivesmatter #blm #riseuptogether #positivevibes #inspire #georgefloyd #justiceforgeorgefloyd #blackgirlmagic #breonnataylor #ahmaudarbery #justiceforahmaud #endracism #figureskating #figureskater #figureskate #figureskater #figureskaters #figureskatinglife #picskates #inline #inlineskating #inlineskate #inlineskater #rollerblading #rollerskating #inlineskates #amplifymelanatedskaters #diversifyice @official_picskate #picskates . . .
