Why Is Serena Williams Being Honoured Alongside Ruby Bridges? Exploring the Tennis Legend’s Impact in America

Serena Williams is a force to be reckoned with and she has used that force to inspire change and massive development for women’s rights. She may be known to the world mostly for her unparalleled tennis skills but the mother of two is so much more than that. Therefore, it is no surprise that ReRe is about to enter the Women’s Hall of Fame in 2024 as one of the most inspirational females and yes, it’s confirmed now!

The National Women’s Hall of Fame has announced the names of the inductees including a lot of influential names along with Serena Williams – Patricia Bath, Ruby Bridges, Elouise Cobell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Peggy McIntosh, Judith Plaskow, Loretta Ross, Sandy Stone, Anna Wessels Williams. Apart from her mind-blowing on-court performance, ReRe is unstoppable in her off-court ventures. Her unfathomable contribution to society and the World has brought her into the Women’s Hall of Fame 2024 alongside so many influential personalities.

Story of Serena Williams Starting from the beginning: Struggle, Passion & Effort

The 23-time Grand Slam winner wasn’t always appreciated for her tennis skills. As a child, Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams practiced with their father at a country club. Seeing as it was an all-white club, the young tennis lovers heard a lot of racial slurs and faced immense racism. However, much like Ruby Bridges who proudly attended an all-white school at age 6, in the South no less, Serena Williams also fought for her right to be there and practice the sport she loved. Having encountered such injustice at an early age molded Williams’ outlook on society. She embarked upon a lifelong journey to bring about not only racial but also gender equality.

As a woman of color, the Queen of the tennis courts fought for equal pay for the WTA. Early on, upon winning the US Open in 1999, Serena Williams was subjected to racial slurs on the tennis court that contained 99% of the white populace. However, instead of allowing them to discourage her, she continued to rule the tennis world with her skills and spoke out openly about her right to be paid for her expertise as well as a white male.

Williams’ efforts, alongside Billie Jean King, are partly the reason why the pay structure for Women’s tennis has improved drastically in the past few years. However, the interesting thing to note here is that Serena Williams doesn’t care about her paycheck. She deposited her first paycheck in the bank, and throughout her career, she wouldn’t attempt to collect her checks till the WTA insisted she come and collect the money at the end of each year. The recipient of the CFDA award was selflessly motivated to fight for women’s rights simply because it was the right thing to do.

Also read: Staggering $780,000,000 Difference Between Roger Federer and Serena Williams Leaves a Lot to Be Desired From the Tennis World

Her efforts are now being carried forward by rising star Coco Gauff, new tennis mom, Naomi Osaka, and many female athletes who wish to follow in the footsteps of Momma Smash.

Williams broke barriers on several fronts

The elusive Ruby Bridges has a statue erected in her honor for pioneering the rights of people of color alongside those of women. Breaking gender barriers and constraints that were designed to hold her back, the 69-year-old activist and author influenced many to fight for themselves, but peacefully.

Serena Williams wasn’t far behind. The CFDA Award we talked about earlier is one of the many accolades that ReRe has amassed aside from her accomplishments in the Tennis world. It is no easy feat to be recognized as a fashion icon. She took it a step further to become the first female athlete to be bestowed with the prestigious award for her style and panache. If her tennis skills were unparalleled, her fashion sense while running around vigorously in Tutu(s) and cornrows was certainly admirable.

She also spearheaded UNICEF’s attempt to further education with their School for Africa initiative as their Goodwill Ambassador. Apart from that, Williams has been quite outspoken about the need for people of color, particularly for women in influential positions such as public office. She even spoke out about doctors being racist, which is truly an unnerving situation.

Being one of the coveted female athletes in the competitive world of tennis, Serena Williams found herself in a position to advocate for positive changes in society, and she never refrained from doing just that. She faced her fair share of backlash but stood taller each time and fought back harder. She inspired people to think about what was wrong with the world and the pain and suffering of a majority of the human race.

Her efforts are not only being recognized but scheduled to be rewarded at the Women’s Hall of Fame next year. It is a step for female athletes of color to continue fighting for what’s right and advance humanity toward a better tomorrow.

What is your favorite aspect of Serena Williams’ lifelong battle for equality and breaking barriers? Share with us your favorite Rere story in the comments below.

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