Legendary American tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams have inspired a plethora of African-American women with their impressive achievements. As African-American women, the Williams sisters were victims of racism and discrimination throughout their careers. However, they fought these social ills with their exceptional tennis talents.
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Additionally, they both always showed pride and respect for their culture and history. The 7-time Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams, recently discussed how her parents taught her the importance of African-American history.
Venus Williams talked about her history and culture
The American tennis icon Venus Williams was recently featured in an interview where she talked about how she has educated people about her culture. She further discussed the importance of understanding the history of the African-American community.
She stated, “For us, it was always important to know where you are, who you are, because if you don’t know who you are, you won’t know where you’re going. But most of all, if you don’t know who you are in your history, you’ll have no idea what you need to do to be ready for the world.”
Meanwhile, Williams also revealed that her father, Richard Williams, has always taught her about their African-American heritage. She added, “So, that was so important and my parents definitely pushed history on us; to know the history of the world and history of African-Americans was super important.”
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The 7-time Grand Slam winner, Venus Williams, wore braids and beads during many matches at the start of her glorious tennis journey. She stated that wearing braids and beads is very common in their culture, as her sister Serena Williams also wore braids during her iconic first Grand Slam victory in the US Open. The elder Williams sister also remarked that it has significant connotations for them because of their African ancestry.
Venus once talked about equal pay for women
The American tennis icon is among some of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport. However, off the court, Venus’ focus has been on other fields as well, working as an entrepreneur and a social activist. She has always raised her voice against many social issues like equal pay concerning women. Venus had already raised awareness about the inequality in prize money among men and women at Wimbledon.
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Williams also launched a campaign that strives toward pay equity for women in their workplaces. She further went on to add that she felt honored to be a part of the effort for equal prize money for women at major tennis tournament. Williams further added that no young girl should believe that her male counterpart will be paid more than them. She also urged other women to create awareness about the same.
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