Vinícius Júnior announced on Wednesday, April 13, that he is creating an antiracist law office linked to the Instituto Vini Jr., adding a new front to the fight against racism that has defined much of his public life. The announcement came through his social media accounts and was framed around Brazil’s Dia da Abolição da Escravatura, observed on May 13.

In a video shared with the announcement, Vinícius said racism still “traps, hurts and silences” people and added, “A liberdade não chegou para todo mundo.” He wrote that “13 de maio pra mim representa força, realização e compromisso com as minhas raízes,” and said he was happy to announce “o Escritório Antirracista, numa tabela com o meu Instituto, em nome de uma nova geração consciente de que não está sozinha na luta por igualdade.”

The project is meant, he said, as support for the struggle for racial equality, with an initial focus on education and sport. The timing also tied the initiative to May 13, 1888, when Princess Isabel signed the Lei Áurea, the law that ended slavery in Brazil.

The move fits the role Vinícius has taken on beyond the pitch. He has become one of football’s most visible voices against racism after suffering repeated racist attacks in Spain in recent years, and the new office extends that campaign from public advocacy into legal support and institutional action.

That is what makes this announcement more than another statement of solidarity. Vinícius is trying to turn a personal cause into a structure, and he is doing it with the same reach that has made his denunciations of racism impossible to ignore.