In a society that seems to be inundated by its many -isms, it becomes ever more difficult to enjoy an event or moment that should be memorialized for its historic qualities. Instead, it is unfairly turned into a chaotic spectacle. Over the past couple of weeks, our news feeds have been dominated by the controversy surrounding tennis star Serena Williams and her dispute with chair umpire Carlos Ramos at the U.S. Open Final.
Williams, after being accused of receiving coaching from the sidelines during the second set, was issued a warning from Ramos. Subsequently, she was issued a point penalty for breaking her racket and a game penalty for calling the umpire a “thief,” ultimately racking up a $17,000 fine. This sparked an unhappy Williams to confront Ramos about the violations she had been penalized for, urging him to consider her character and understand that she does not cheat to win.
Serena Williams speaking out and addressing these injustices that she felt had been unfairly dealt led to much criticism about how the situation was handled. My question then is, if placed in a similar situation, wouldn’t we all fight for the treatment we thought we deserved?
This entire issue not only speaks to the double standard that exists in sports, but is also something that I believe resonates with many women of color who have and continue to speak out about the disparities present due to gender and race. When men are placed in similar situations and react in a passionate way, as Williams was perceived to have done, they are often characterized as “outspoken” and receive no penalty while a woman may be considered to be “hysterical” or “overreacting.”
Williams was not only criticized and potentially penalized unfairly for her actions, but was disrespectfully labeled as the “angry black woman,” a racist insult that has been used to characterize and dismiss the emotions of black women for decades. The Australian cartoonist Mark Knight even took it so far as to draw and publish an extremely racist caricature of Williams in the Herald Sun.
However, let’s take a quick moment to illuminate the fact that while this issue certainly involves the intersection of gender and race (because in reality, there is no space where a woman of color can exist without both gender and race being at the forefront of how we handle ourselves, especially in the United States), we lost an opportunity to celebrate.
Amid the controversy, this game made history with 20-year-old Naomi Osaka being the first Japanese-Haitian to win a Grand Slam title. A point that cannot be denied is that this moment that should have been Osaka’s to revel in was instead overshadowed by chaos, disagreement and disrespect.
An image that has been circulating shows a tearful Osaka being comforted by Williams during the final ceremony as the crowd boos. Osaka’s humility and Williams’ support and celebration of the young player’s win makes a point of showing that women can still support each other while standing up for their own unique struggles.
All women supporting all women is what inclusive feminism looks like, and in order to make strides in all areas of society, we need to support each other’s successes and speak out when injustice is present.
Emani Kelley, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at EKelley19@wooster.edu.