Osaka defends herself from criticism for organizing a dinner for black people
Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend organized a dinner this Sunday where they only invited black people, triggering a wave of racial criticism towards them on social media. The Japanese player responded with a powerful statement on social media.
"I love everyone for who they are regardless of their race + ethnicity (I'm literally half Japanese, hahaha). I can only speak from my experiences in my own life. However, growing up as a tennis player, I didn't see many people who looked like ME, and I feel it's important to celebrate that. Secondly, I feel it's important to note that there have been dinners/parties exclusively for white people. I don't know how else to tell you, I've literally seen them all the time and never had any issue with that. To those who raise this question, I also want to ask this question, 'What bothers you so much about POC coming together?' I want to end this by saying that I grew up seeing how they discriminated against my dad, calling the police on him several times on the tennis court. There are many things I will apologize for in my life, but celebrating being black and appreciating who we are will never be something I consider apologizing for. Thank you. Actually, I lied, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for those who can't comprehend in their brains that this isn't about exclusion; it's a celebration of how far we've come."
Naomi Osaka on why she chose to host a party for the black tennis players:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 24, 2026
“You know I'm seeing a little bit of-
‘Why can't you love everyone for all skin tones?’ and ‘what if someone had an all white party?! First of all I do love everyone for who they are no matter their race… pic.com/Qg824Qsur5
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Osaka se defiende de las críticas por organizar una cena para personas negras