‘Backbone of This Country.’ – Serena Williams Produces a Rousing Speech on ‘Black Women’ Upon Receiving a Rare Honor

American tennis great Serena Williams has added yet another honor to her list. The 41-year-old is one of the latest inductees to the National Portrait Gallery. Serena recently ended her 27-year-old tennis career playing her last tournament at home. She featured in the US Open and made it to the third round before crashing out of the tournament.

As Serena put curtains on her career, she became the most successful tennis player of the open era. Here’s what Serena said about the honor she received recently.

Serena Williams reacts to her portrait in the National Portrait Gallery

On the 12th of November 2022, National Portrait Gallery added portraits of seven new inductees to honor the significant contributions they’ve made to U.S. history. Two of them were legendary tennis stars Serena Williams and Venus Williams. The feats these two have achieved after fighting all the odds are truly remarkable.

Serena Williams’ portrait depicts her in a cheerful mood. Reacting to the portrait, the 41-year-old said, “I think it’s so important for the National Portrait Gallery to see a Black woman smile. Black women are often seen as serious, and we are. And we are happy as well. We are mothers, we are wives and we are the backbone of this country.”

Read more: ‘I’m Not the Girl Next Door’- Serena Williams Once Sent Out a Strong Message After Featuring on the Cover of a Fashion Magazine

Serena is talking about the popular belief of African-American women being tough and mean. However, the cheerful portrait of the legendary tennis star truly depicts her real personality.

When people judged Serena by her looks

Serena Williams has faced many challenges off the court as well. Making a name for herself in a largely white sport was a tough task for the American tennis star. One such problem was that people use to judge her by her looks. In an interview, Serena once claimed that by her looks, people make an opinion in their mind that she must be a mean person.

While Serena claims to be one of the nicest people on the tour, she also said that such a problem will never occur to her white colleagues. Giving the example of former Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said that even though she is quiet and maintains her distance from everyone, people still perceive her to be nice and kind.

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The smiling picture of Serena Williams in the National Portrait Gallery will definitely help such people identify the real qualities of Serena.