In a largely white sport like tennis, Serena Williams has discussed the difficulties she faces in exposing false narratives as a person of colour and a black woman. Williams has battled discrimination and racial stereotypes throughout her career.
Beyond her accomplishments on the court, Williams has spoken up for the black community. Since her career started, she has brought attention to their difficulties and promoted equality.
During an interview, Williams recently discussed the difficulties she encountered as a black athlete in a largely white sport like tennis. She said that it is challenging to be a person of colour in tennis because people have always expected her to outperform everyone else to establish her worth.
Williams added that, due to the gaps in opportunity and compensation that black women experience, she and every other black woman in athletics or any other industry begin at the bottom.
Williams talked about it and said: “It’s hard because when you are a person of colour, you’re expected to—you have to—win so many times more than someone else. To be honest, as a black woman, we are basically starting at the bottom. You don’t get paid as much. You don’t get as many opportunities.”
Williams added that she has made an effort to dispel the myths and prejudices associated with being a black woman while still being true to who she is.
She added: “And no matter what you do, it’s always “Oh, she’s mean” or “Oh, she’s this,” and none of that is necessarily true. So it’s [about] breaking down those false narratives and also being okay with being yourself and letting people see that. I think it’s something that we have to talk about and embrace more: “These barriers also have to be broken down.” And I’m okay to do that too.”
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