In recent months, all-star tennis player, Serena
Williams, revealed her engagement to reddit co-creator, Alexis Ohanian. This
announcement has created a deep conversation within the black community
relating to Serena and her identity.
Many black women view Serena’s decision to marry a white man as an act
of abandonment to her race, meaning that she should not be able to preach
messages of black love. The BET article, Heated Debate on the 'Blackness' of Serena Williams
Sparked After She Slammed Racist Comments About Her Baby,
by Paul Meara notes how one twitter user said “"Serena no longer black but
wants us black folks supporting her 💀 go beg whites for support
[expletive],"( @talkotp.) This statement represents a long line of
thought regarding the nature of interracial relationships. This relates back to the idea of the
separation within the black community between those who were considered to be
“white passing” and those who were not. Such a distinction within the community
highlights the differing opinions over what it means to be pro-black in a
society that thrives off of racial discrimination. For many Serena Williams represented the
strength of a black woman and to see her form a relationship with a white man
disrupts the sense of black power. This
raises the question of whether or not a person’s love interests affect their
stance in regards to black activist roles.
The union of two people however does not change the core values of an
individual, yet the conversation of what it means to be a pro black activist
should not be silenced. It is important
that these issues be discussed in a critical environment while also keeping in
mind that the marriage between differing races does not change the entire
belief system of an individual party.
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