FOOTBALL – The United States’ clash with Australia today presents the co-hosts with the chance to not only book a place in the World Cup knockout phase, but also celebrate Black history and showcase the diversity of the team and Seattle.
The match falls on Juneteenth, which marks the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and became a US federal holiday in 2021.
A series of events in and around Seattle will combine a local love of soccer with social awareness.
Today’s game and the influx of visitors provide “a rare opportunity to celebrate a really deeply important part of our nation’s history”, Girmay Zahilay, the executive of King County in which Seattle is located, said on Wednesday.
“This wouldn’t be the first time that sports and social justice or social awareness have combined,” he added.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said visitors would see not just a world-class sporting event, but also “a city that is proud of its history (and) proud of its diversity”.
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