This event will be held outside on our La Branch Street Pad at La Branch and Polk Street. The event is free and open to the public. 

A Statement By Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee:

Brittney Griner was taken into custody in Russia in mid-February 2022 and shortly thereafter the tyranny of Putin raged and invaded a democratic Ukraine. Unfortunately, I knew that Brittney Griner’s destiny was going to be wrapped up in the leadership of the United States of America and the American people who had expressed their outrage and care for her.

Brittney Griner is a hometown girl raised in Houston, a graduate of Nimitz High School, excelled in basketball, and went on to Baylor University where she continued to excel onward to the WNBA and an Olympic championship. She has received many accolades for her basketball prowess, but what has come to define her most definitely is her kindness and proclivity for charity and helping others.

On Monday, June 6, 2022, the voices of Houston will be raised with clarity to say— Brittney Griner is a hostage in Russia and the whole community of Houston demands that she be released immediately. Our nation is founded on the values of equality and Democracy. On Monday Houstonians will stand up with pride in their love of Democracy, equality, and justice; and their voices will be heard in Washington DC, and all the way to where Brittney is held. We hope this rally and prayer vigil will continue to propel the Administration and the President of the United States to continue to work to secure the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whalen. Houstonians' voices should never be silenced until Brittney Griner is brought home and we hope many voices will join us on June 6, 2022, at 6:00 pm at the Houston Rockets Toyota Center at the corner of Polk and La Branch, in Houston, TX. Please join us to stretch our hands to our athletic friends across the nation; to the WNBA, and NBA; to our schools; and to our many friends around the nation.

Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat representing the 18th Congressional District of Texas, is a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security and the Budget and the Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.