So here I am on a Saturday evening, scrolling through Instagram and I see videos circulating of Serena Williams US Open match with Naomi Osaka. This isn’t out of the ordinary because I knew Serena was playing this weekend. What I didn’t expect was to see mama go off on the chair umpire! I lived for ALL of it. But let’s backtrack, I was not used to seeing Serena like this on the tennis court. This Serena was FED UP! The chair umpire accused her of ‘illegal coaching.’ Serena’s coach gave her the “thumbs up,” and the umpire interpreted that as him coaching her. Serena explained to him that it wasn’t coaching at all, but the chair umpire was not hearing it. That is when Serena lost it! Although the chair umpire didn’t say she was a cheater, his call certainly implied it! Serena yelled out “I AM NOT A CHEATER!! I HAVE NEVER CHEATED, I WOULD RATHER LOSE!” She came back and demanded he apologizes to her. There was something about that first “NEVER” that hit me so hard! Tears of anger and frustration began to well up inside because I saw myself and countless other black women who have been wrongfully accused by simply for existing. We are constantly under attack, and we never receive an apology. Even when they know they are wrong, they never do the right thing and say “Hey my bad. I’m sorry.” They move on and expect us to GET OVER IT! When I say “they” I am referring to America.
Watching Serena plead to the umpire and pretty much in tears hurt me to my core and I wanted to fight – like windmill that chair umpire straight up out of that chair! LOL! Seriously, it was hard to watch. I can vividly recall all of the times I have been put in the hot seat in the workplace or in other white spaces and ignored, spoken down to, disrespected, belittled and expected not to respond or show disappointment, frustration or speak up on the offense. Black women and suffering go hand and hand as far as White America is concerned. I can vividly recall countless times I was depicted as the angry Black woman in situations where I felt violated, but because the other person was White, they got a pass. Black women in America (and all over the world) have in some way shape or form experienced this type of backlash when it comes to expressing ourselves when society wrongs us.
There is a target on Serena’s back. Why? She is a freaking bad@$$, she is Black excellence personified, AND she is a BLACK woman!! They hate how she dominates the tennis court, and since they can’t take that away from her, they come for her in other ways such as the one we saw this past weekend. They started on her about her catsuit at the French Open and now this. Let’s be real. The global disdain for Black women is undeniable, and we see it every time they come for Serena or any Black woman with a public platform.
Black women are SUPPOSED to suffer, and when we do, it is viewed as a normalcy, and nobody cares because we ALWAYS bounce back – hence the term STRONG BLACK WOMAN. We take a licking and keep on ticking. History shows the countless number of Black women who have fought for equality, equity and the right to merely exist. Serena was darn near in tears pleading her case, and it was falling on deaf ears. I know that there are rules to the game and rules must be followed but how many times have we watched white men AND women break the rules with little to no consequence? Please don’t get me started!
Even after the riff-raff between Serena and the chair umpire, she consoled the new champion Naomi Osaka who was visibly in tears. This is what I mean by Black women continually being subjected to pain and suffering while being expected to smile and be a good sport. Yes, in life there will be challenges, and we have to pick ourselves up and stay positive but at whose expense? When a white woman is hurt, America consoles her and she instantly becomes the poster child for sympathy and concern. The same situation that happened to Serena could have happened to a White woman, but the reaction towards the white woman would have been different. American would have sympathized with her, called her a trailblazer for women’s rights and lifted her up high as the voice for women’s equality in sports. When Black women are hurt, we are complaining, emotional, angry and should “just move on”! I’m tired of it!
Serena is still the MVP regardless of the outcome. However, I will not take anything away from Naomi Osaka and her win. It is unfortunate that these two Black women were put in a terrible position and couldn’t enjoy the game, and do what they love in the spirit of healthy competition. I wish they could have played the game without the controversy of the chair umpire using his power to oppress Serena. Call me crazy, but I also believe they are making an example of Serena due to Nike’s most recent Colin Kaepernick campaign. Serena like many other Black athletes wear Nike branding and White people are BIG mad, so I wouldn’t say my Nike theory isn’t too far-fetched.
Serena is one of my faves, and I took this situation personally because I know what it feels like to be “existing while black” and never being enough in the eyes of White America. Serena is every Black woman who has everything it takes and then some just for a seat at the table, only to be labeled angry, bitter, unsportsmanlike, disrespectful, emotional when faced with injustice. In the eyes of many, she should have played it safe and allowed the chair umpire to wrongfully accuse her of cheating oppose to her speaking up and defending herself. Black women are TIRED!! We are done being the poster child for suffering and maltreatment. We will continue to speak up and speak out against injustice whether America likes it or not!
What are your thoughts? Email me at thehonestaquarian@gmail.com.
Until next time,
XoXo
The Honest Aquarian 