The Problem with the Conversation Surrounding Serena Williams

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 3, 2015

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When conversations on racism in sports arise, rebuttals often point to the popularity of beloved black male stars such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James or Russell Wilson. Bias against black men in sports—and any social progress in that area—has been well documented.

Less familiar is the unique brand of discrimination African-American women are subjected to: anti-black misogyny.

This is the killer combo of racism and sexism that has entered the national conversation as Serena Williams attempts to win a record seventh U.S. Open, 22nd Grand Slam title and her first calendar-year Slam.

Delia Douglas, Ph.D., an instructor at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus, calls it "anti-black racism in a gender-specific form."

"You're seeing very specific gender/racist stereotypes in terms of the ascription of masculinity to Serena," Douglas told Bleacher Report.

The roots of this very specific form of bigotry, Douglas said, are found in enslavement and colonialism. "Because black women's bodies have always been...[viewed as property], deemed expendable, disposable, because on the one hand sport is still claimed as a male space...you're navigating sexism and racism.

"But to claim that all female athletes simply have to navigate sexism and heterosexism does not get at the specificity of the history of black women and black women's bodies, which are particular targets."

This is the context for the Twitterverse's explosion earlier this week when Darren Rovell, a business reporter for ESPN, dismissed as "idiotic" any "racism talk" regarding Maria Sharapova's marketing advantages over Williams.



It was another useless dismissal of what Williams has faced in her career.

Williams enjoys a special status among many black women. She is our Jackie Robinson, a member of our disenfran...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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