“As a black tennis player, I looked different. I sounded different. I dressed different. I served different. But when I stepped onto the court, I could compete with anyone,”(Davies/Lasher). This quote by Serena Williams shows that she had a hard time on and off the court with racial issues. This quote relates to her because she had to compete with mainly all white opponents. Serena Williams’s life was influenced by her early life. Her major contributions to American society including inspiring many young African American girls to play tennis helped them earn her place in history as an important African American.
Starting off, Serena was the youngest out of 5 girls in her family. She was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan (Gale). She moved to Compton, California at an early age. It is unsure of when Serena’s family moved to Compton, but it is known that she started playing on tennis courts in Compton around the age of 3 (Gale). She started playing tennis with Venus, her sister, around 3 years old. They attended a tennis school that was taught by Richard Williams (Who is Serena Williams). In 1991, she had won 46 out of 49 matches in the United States Tennis Association Junior Tour (Who is Serena Williams). Their father pulled them out of tennis because he
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Her life was influenced by things that happened when she was young. Serena Williams can be a inspiration to all people, regardless of race because her courage can make more people look up to her. She is important to remember during Black History Month because she is one of the only African American women to win a Grand Slam title. Black History Month is important because it is the right thing to honor a race that many people have tormented. “In 1999, she won the U.S. Open women's singles title and became the first black woman to win a Grand Slam professional tennis tournament since Althea Gibson in
Althea Gibson was an African American woman born August 25, 1957 in Silver, North Carolina. She attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical School and later Lincoln University as an athletic instructor. In her early life she moved to Harlem, New York, New York because of the Great Depression. She was also increased in basketball and paddle tennis. She quickly became good at tennis and people stared o notice, so Robert Walter Johnson coached, mentored, and sponsored her. She went on to win 11 Grand Slam titles, cementing her legacy, was the first black woman to play professional tennis, and on top of that she broke he racial barrier in tennis. She also played tennis, played he saxophone, and wrote an autobiography called “I Always wanted to
Showing athletic prowess and passion for the sport, Gibson moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 1946 for further tennis training. In 1947, when she was just 20, she won the first of 10 consecutive national championships she participated in. The American Tennis Association was the governing body for a still segregated sport, black tournaments.
Althea Gibson was born in 1927 in South Carolina to two sharecroppers on a cotton farm. Her family later during the Great depression moved to Harlem. With the support of her neighbors for money, she received lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club and in 1941, she won the ATA national championship in the girls division (Trong).Althea gibson was a great influence and role model for African Americans by being the first African American to win as many championships as she did , showing what African Americans could accomplish in tennis, and opening doors for African Americans . Althea Gibson influenced African Americans by being the being the first African American to win as many championships as she did.
Black History Month is a very important one. My favorite person that we can celebrate this month is Hank Aaron. Hank is an incredible baseball player. He set glorious examples for all African Americans who wished to have an accomplished career in baseball. Hank Aaron is one of the best performers I know of.
Serena Williams, along with her sister Venus, took part in the famous reality TV series called "Venus and Serena: For Real."
She showed them that they could be equal. The only difference was the color of the skin. She taught them that that wasn’t even a big difference. She fought segregation her entire life.
One of the biggest things that she pushed for in her career was equal pay for men and women in sports. This was a struggle for her as she had trouble paying for her tennis. In the early days of her playing she was not allowed in the picture of her first tennis club because she was not wearing the proper tennis skirt, but instead had on shorts. Her family did not have a lot of extra money to put into her expensive tennis career and it was hard for them to afford the elitists sport. She along with other women had to stand up and risk being band from the tennis league when they signed one dollar contracts with the Virginia Slims to bring attention to the struggle for equal play. It became apparent to Billy even from the young age that she was when she was not allowed in the picture because of her attire that women where not
American professional tennis player Serena Williams has won over Grand Slam Single titles and several Olympic gold medals. “At age American Serena and her sister Venus started playing tennis. “(A&E) Since turning pro she’s countless awards and
When women decide to participate in sports traditionally for men such as bodybuilding, they risk the chance of being socially stereotyped as lesbians, or simply viewed as "less feminine" then say women figure skaters. For example, Venus Williams is seen as criticized for being very masculine in build and judged on that by her performance. The media has commented on how well she plays, and has compared her to men in her sport. She receives fewer endorsements than many other tennis players do because of her looks (but mainly due to her race).
Serena Williams had many hard times in her childhood. Richard and Oracene Williams raised their five daughters in the poor city of Compton, California. They gave birth to Serena Jameka Williams September 26, 1981 (“Serena Williams Biography”). Richard enjoyed tennis very much and would often have Serena and her older sister Venus practice for hours in the terrible tennis courts (“Venus & Serena Williams Biography”). Richard was extremely supportive and hoped all the best for his children. “He would ask what tournament she wanted to win, and then, enter them for that very competition which they often then went to win” (Sheyin). At ten years old, Serena was on the junior United States Tennis Association tour and won first place in the ten and under division! Worried at first, Richard pulled them out due to his desire for them to stay focused at school. He also noticed some parents say some harsh things because of their racial background. After his daughters
I asked Emma Nuzzi what she thought her biggest accomplishment was, she replied with “I would say becoming a very good tennis player.” Emma Nuzzi started playing tennis at age twelve, which she thinks was a late age. When Emma was in the seventh grade she told her gym teacher that she wanted to play tennis she then replied to Nuzzi with “Maybe.”, this did not encourage Emma at the time because her gym teacher was the varsity tennis coach. Emma did not let this get to her too much because she practiced and became the player that she is today.
Black excellence; a term that is possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that black excellence cannot be achieved without understanding its relation to apparent racist perpetrations. In the essay entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, author Claudia Rankine states, “the notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” The prevalent absurdity exuded by this statement is the unfortunate reality we now inhabit.
Black excellence; a term possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that black excellence cannot be achieved without understanding its relation to apparent racist perpetrations. In an essay discussing Serena Williams, entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, by Claudia Rankine, she states, “the notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” The prevalent absurdity exuded by this statement is the unfortunate reality we now inhabit.
First, I would like to share with all of you what tennis is and what it’s like for the professionals and high school teams, to
She is the Captain of her tennis team and is constantly working to try to improve her abilities.