Serena, You Go Girl!

The bad, bold and beautiful Serena Williams won the French Open yesterday. Instead of being lauded on social media for this achievement, she was once again the victim of racist, sexist rants by the many nameless, faceless cowards who denigrate both her and her sister year after year, victory after victory.

Since the Williams sisters exploded into the world of professional tennis in the late 1990’s, they have redefined the game as only they could. They are tough, athletic and competitive, no more so than when they face each other. Between 2001 and 2009, they have faced each other in eight Grand Slam singles finals. No one before and seemingly no one in the near future has close to achieving what these two ladies have achieved in tennis. Yet with all their achievements, not only in tennis but in acting and fashion, no one has had to endure as much vitriol as these two women.

Sheer moments after her win, Serena was compared to an animal. The favorite comparison is that of a gorilla. She was compared to a man and declared as horribly unattractive. It’s a sin and a shame that she is not celebrating her win with millions of congratulations from adoring fans. Instead she is met with the type of hatred that is generally reserved for likes of Hitler or Mussolini.

One of the most consistent criticisms of the Williams sisters is that they are built powerfully and therefore have an unfair advantage over their opponents. Sure, both women are strong with well defined muscles. But couldn't it also be said the reason why they are so formidable is because they are fierce competitors and strategic about how they play. Could it be they are so tough to beat because they are competitive to a fault and play each match as if it were their last? Maybe they have been and continue to be the best in women’s tennis because they are simply the best. And those critics (predominately White males) are angry because they feel their game has been sullied by two Black women.

Since Africans first arrived on this continent, Black people have excelled in every facet. Black people are scientists, inventors, doctors, politicians, Supreme Court justices and now even president. Yet the stigma remains especially when it comes to Black women. In this day and age, Black women are still deemed unattractive to the “average” man. Our voices are too loud, our butts are too big, we are unfeminine, we are angry. We are always something but that something is never anything good unless we are mamas or mammies, cooks or cleaners. Wasn’t that one of the messages of the film The Help? Yet with the accomplishments Condolezza Rice, Mae Jamison, Halle Berry, Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey to name a few phenomenal Black Women, we are still on the bottom rung in the United States, destined to be the stereotypical angry, emasculating, ugly Black women.

Social media is a great tool. It has allowed us to expand our circle of friends and acquaintances to include people from around the world. We are able to share ourselves in ways we had only imagined. We can not only talk to folks in other countries but play games with them as well. We get news instantaneously and we are on top of everything. Yet this wonderful tool has also allowed the nameless, faceless jerks and assholes among us to espouse hate, racism and misogyny with abandon. Surely this was not the intent of Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone or Evan Williams, the creators of Twitter. I would also imagine that Mark Zuckerberg and the four other co-founders of Facebook never envisioned their creation would give pander to the worst among us.

Through all the negativity Serena and Venus have had to face, they have remained gracious. When Danish player Caroline Wozniacki mocked Serena by stuffing her shirt and skirt with towels at an exhibition match in 2012, Serena responded that she thought Ms. Wozniacki’s joke was in bad taste. She very adroitly sidestepped the racism behind this little stunt. Neither sister has taken the bait when sports commentators have made comments about their grunts, their attire, their strength or their figures. They remained above the controversy when sportscasters compared them to animals saying they would be better suited to posing for National Geographic. The only time either sister has commented about the racism they constantly face on and off the court is their refusal to play the BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells, California which Serena has boycotted for more than a decade. The sisters were called nigger more than once and even threatened with bodily harm. What this says about them is courage under fire. What it says about the American public is something much worse.

Personally I love watching the sisters beat the hell out of their opponents. I cheer with each point and cry whenever either loses. A match with either Serena or Venus is like watching a gifted surgeon. They are strong, competitive and brilliant strategists who play the game at a stratospheric level. They never crack under pressure. They never pay attention publicly to the racists or the misogynists who give them hell. I admire their game but I admire their dignity even more. They are better women than me. But for all that admiration, I would love it if one of them broke decorum just once and said to all the naysayers “Kiss my bodacious Black ass.”