All Hail Queens Serena and Venus: Celebrating the Williams Sisters' Legacies
By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
Serena Williams is adored. She is revered. She dominates in
such an elegant sport and the world knows it. Tennis lovers, especially those
of us who understand her impact and age-defying accomplishments, are happy to
be alive during her tenure, which is now twenty years and running.
Scores of women across generations, particularly those of us
of African descent, find Serena and her older sister, Venus, also a five-time
Wimbledon champion, endearing and inspiring. Interestingly, the only times
Venus has lost at the Wimbledon finals are the three in which she was beat by
Serena. In their supreme wisdom, the athletic gods saw fit to give the world to
two chocolate-colored sister-goddesses. Both, after all, are multiple Olympic
champions.
In a recent post-match interview, Serena complemented her
big sister Venus with splendid attribution. Essentially, Serena noted the
benefit of having Venus to look up too, to have as a practice partner, best
friend, and confidante. Indeed, Venus, two years older, paved the way for
Serena and has upheld her little sister effervescently with tremendous pride
and poise as Serena has exceeded Venus in her number of major championships
won.
We, the public, have not witnessed any envy, jealousy, or
spite from Venus in what would be trying for almost anyone. Likewise, we have
not seen arrogance or gloating from Serena. These two biological sisters embody
the definition of love: “Love is patient, love is kind; it is not envious,
boastful, arrogant, or rude; love does not insist on its own way; and it is not
irritable or resentful.”
How blessed they are to have the benefit of one another’s
company as they transverse the globe, overcome health challenges, pursue
non-sport related interests, and win and lose matches. Together and with a host
of family, friends, coaches, and supporters, Venus and Serena continue to
surmount challenges associated with succeeding in a sport that has not always
been welcoming of them—and which still poses hostilities from time to time—as
they establish themselves as the most dominant pair of siblings, by far, in the
history of tennis.
Queen Serena has her detractors and haters, but clearly, she
drinks their tears as a delicate, and sustaining elixir of haterade. Over the
years, I have marveled that neither she nor her sister Venus have ever once
slipped and cursed anyone out. Remarkable resolve considering all these two
dynamic champions have endured. The Williams are certainly better women than
me—and most, if folks are honest. Their decorum shall be an enduring quality in
the years to come and has been a standard against the ignorance and vitriol the
Williams family has experienced both within and outside of tennis.
Serena is approaching the highest mark of modern-era Grand
Slams at an age when most women and men have their best athletic days behind
them. This past Saturday, at 33, Ms. Williams won her sixth Wimbledon title.
The only other woman to win a Wimbledon title at the age of 33 or older is the
great Martina Navratilova. Serena’s strength, fitness, and her stamina are
apparent. Never has there been an athlete who has aged as gracefully as a fine
cabernet or, better yet, a pinot noir.
With one more Grand Slam title, Serena will tie German
Steffie Graf. With three more Grand Slam titles Serena will tie Margaret Court
of Australia. So many of us hope we will witness history right along with
Serena and Team Williams, should she surpass Ms. Court’s record. I imagine that
Ora Washington, Althea Gibson, and Arthur Ashe are smiling while sitting
courtside on the other side of the Jordan, cheering her on. In so doing, we
know, as they know, that our Ancestors’ struggles in the class-conscious sport
of tennis were not in vain.
For African Americans, the Williams Sisters hold particular
significance. They are ours, and we are theirs—especially those of us with an
appropriate sense of community and healthy self-esteem. We value them and hold
at bay any negative depictions (and there have been far too many) of our
ladies, who are model world citizens, consummate professionals, and
well-rounded human beings.
Possibilities abound when young women and girls see
themselves in Venus and Serena. Every little girl should be shown video of
Venus and Serena when they were young. The tennis prodigies with their beads
and braids, beautiful brown skin gleaming from the sweat of hard work and the
beating of the sun, and the swoosh of their rackets on the cracked inner city
courts of Compton. It is not hyperbole to assert that the talent held by these
once little girls from Compton is emblematic of the potential and promise of
every little African American girl.
Thankfully, there are currently a host of young women who
are willing to follow in their exceptional footsteps. Taylor Townsend, Madison
Keys, and Sloane Stephens are currently carrying Venus and Serena’s ceremonial
trains. These young women are making names for themselves, and in the process,
will pick up the mantle carried with such distinction by Venus and Serena.
The sisters have been paragons of virtue, dignity, and the
idealized “American Dream.” Their mother and coach Oracene Price Williams is as
composed as they come under the bright lights and scrutiny of celebrity.
Richard Williams, father and coach of the amazing progeny Venus and Serena, is
power and protection personified.
Driven by a visionary father, a deeply involved and
supportive mother, these two hardworking, but supernaturally talented women,
are luminary. Girls and young women have two stellar role models who have done
the extraordinary in the rarified world of tennis.
The Williams family has shown the world what is possible
even against the longest of odds. All hail, Queen Serena and Queen Venus.
Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), a frequent
contributor to ForHarriet.com is sports enthusiast and former administrator in
collegiate athletics. Follow her on Twitter @HumanStriving, Soundcloud, and
Facebook. #StayWoke
By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
July 17, 2015
Serena Williams is adored. She is revered. She dominates in
such an elegant sport and the world knows it. Tennis lovers, especially those
of us who understand her impact and age-defying accomplishments, are happy to
be alive during her tenure, which is now twenty years and running.
Scores of women across generations, particularly those of us
of African descent, find Serena and her older sister, Venus, also a five-time
Wimbledon champion, endearing and inspiring. Interestingly, the only times
Venus has lost at the Wimbledon finals are the three in which she was beat by
Serena. In their supreme wisdom, the athletic gods saw fit to give the world to
two chocolate-colored sister-goddesses. Both, after all, are multiple Olympic
champions.
In a recent post-match interview, Serena complemented her
big sister Venus with splendid attribution. Essentially, Serena noted the
benefit of having Venus to look up too, to have as a practice partner, best
friend, and confidante. Indeed, Venus, two years older, paved the way for
Serena and has upheld her little sister effervescently with tremendous pride
and poise as Serena has exceeded Venus in her number of major championships
won.
We, the public, have not witnessed any envy, jealousy, or
spite from Venus in what would be trying for almost anyone. Likewise, we have
not seen arrogance or gloating from Serena. These two biological sisters embody
the definition of love: “Love is patient, love is kind; it is not envious,
boastful, arrogant, or rude; love does not insist on its own way; and it is not
irritable or resentful.”
How blessed they are to have the benefit of one another’s
company as they transverse the globe, overcome health challenges, pursue
non-sport related interests, and win and lose matches. Together and with a host
of family, friends, coaches, and supporters, Venus and Serena continue to
surmount challenges associated with succeeding in a sport that has not always
been welcoming of them—and which still poses hostilities from time to time—as
they establish themselves as the most dominant pair of siblings, by far, in the
history of tennis.
Queen Serena has her detractors and haters, but clearly, she
drinks their tears as a delicate, and sustaining elixir of haterade. Over the
years, I have marveled that neither she nor her sister Venus have ever once
slipped and cursed anyone out. Remarkable resolve considering all these two
dynamic champions have endured. The Williams are certainly better women than
me—and most, if folks are honest. Their decorum shall be an enduring quality in
the years to come and has been a standard against the ignorance and vitriol the
Williams family has experienced both within and outside of tennis.
Serena is approaching the highest mark of modern-era Grand
Slams at an age when most women and men have their best athletic days behind
them. This past Saturday, at 33, Ms. Williams won her sixth Wimbledon title.
The only other woman to win a Wimbledon title at the age of 33 or older is the
great Martina Navratilova. Serena’s strength, fitness, and her stamina are
apparent. Never has there been an athlete who has aged as gracefully as a fine
cabernet or, better yet, a pinot noir.
With one more Grand Slam title, Serena will tie German
Steffie Graf. With three more Grand Slam titles Serena will tie Margaret Court
of Australia. So many of us hope we will witness history right along with
Serena and Team Williams, should she surpass Ms. Court’s record. I imagine that
Ora Washington, Althea Gibson, and Arthur Ashe are smiling while sitting
courtside on the other side of the Jordan, cheering her on. In so doing, we
know, as they know, that our Ancestors’ struggles in the class-conscious sport
of tennis were not in vain.
For African Americans, the Williams Sisters hold particular
significance. They are ours, and we are theirs—especially those of us with an
appropriate sense of community and healthy self-esteem. We value them and hold
at bay any negative depictions (and there have been far too many) of our
ladies, who are model world citizens, consummate professionals, and
well-rounded human beings.
Possibilities abound when young women and girls see
themselves in Venus and Serena. Every little girl should be shown video of
Venus and Serena when they were young. The tennis prodigies with their beads
and braids, beautiful brown skin gleaming from the sweat of hard work and the
beating of the sun, and the swoosh of their rackets on the cracked inner city
courts of Compton. It is not hyperbole to assert that the talent held by these
once little girls from Compton is emblematic of the potential and promise of
every little African American girl.
Thankfully, there are currently a host of young women who
are willing to follow in their exceptional footsteps. Taylor Townsend, Madison
Keys, and Sloane Stephens are currently carrying Venus and Serena’s ceremonial
trains. These young women are making names for themselves, and in the process,
will pick up the mantle carried with such distinction by Venus and Serena.
The sisters have been paragons of virtue, dignity, and the
idealized “American Dream.” Their mother and coach Oracene Price Williams is as
composed as they come under the bright lights and scrutiny of celebrity.
Richard Williams, father and coach of the amazing progeny Venus and Serena, is
power and protection personified.
Driven by a visionary father, a deeply involved and
supportive mother, these two hardworking, but supernaturally talented women,
are luminary. Girls and young women have two stellar role models who have done
the extraordinary in the rarified world of tennis.
The Williams family has shown the world what is possible
even against the longest of odds. All hail, Queen Serena and Queen Venus.
Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), a frequent
contributor to ForHarriet.com is sports enthusiast and former administrator in
collegiate athletics. Follow her on Twitter @HumanStriving, Soundcloud, and
Facebook. #StayWoke
Ciara Should Be the Only Person Talking About Her Sex Life
By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
July 20, 2015
Last week, Black people collectively went “D’awww…” when
Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson opened up about
his romance with superstar singer Ciara, confessing that both had agreed to
abstain from sex in their relationship. This week, Ciara’s “baby daddy” and
ex-fiancé Future indicated that Ciara did not make him wait. (Thank you,
Captain Obvious.) However, what many people are missing is that it is rather
unfortunate that two men spoke about their current or ex-girlfriend’s sex life.
By doing so, they negated Ciara’s sexual agency, while also reinforcing age-old
stereotypes about men and women’s virtue.
Consensual sex, in its proper context, is a thoroughly
sacred encounter. From the Kama Sutra to Song of Solomon in the Old Testament,
revered texts honor sex as a holy, beautiful, and healthy experience. Sex,
then, like our romantic relationships, is best considered a private, precious
matter. One that if disclosed should be done by mutual consent and with both
parties present and accounted for.
Interestingly, Ciara was absent from each public revelation
about her sex life. Casting a public gaze on Ciara’s sex life without her
presence, permission, and participation is highly problematic.
Wilson, her current love interest, made the initial reveal
during an interview conducted by former San Diego Charger and founding pastor
of The Rock Church Miles McPherson. Pastor McPherson asked, “How’s your
relationship going?” With that, Wilson freely, without prompting, offered that
he and Ciara had agreed to abstain from sex. McPherson eyebrows seemed to rise
(although McPherson and Wilson may very well have discussed this talking point
prior to the interview). He then probed Wilson seeking clarification because
Wilson was rather cryptic in his remarks. To which Wilson specified that he was
talking about “sex.”
Did Wilson have Ciara’s permission to discuss their
agreement? If not, her absence and his failure to gain mutual consent made void
her sexual agency. In essence, she was objectified—Ciara become a voiceless
absent entity, albeit one perceived as vaulted, pretty, and desirable.
In church parlance, Wilson positioned himself as a Christian
“witness” offering a “testimony” as to God’s involvement in their relationship.
In so many words, he asserted that God had spoken to him with an instruction
that he, Russell, was to “lead her.” This came across as very patriarchal.
Apparently, in Russell’s conception, God has appointed him to lead Ciara down
the path of righteousness. I had the audacity to think that in the Christian
faith, only the Holy Spirit and Jesus could do that. Could others play a role?
Yes, but the substantive work of transformation is between the Divine and the
individual. Russell went on to say that God had anointed both he and Ciara with
talent, a call, and their huge platforms, in part, to show others the way to
live a virtuous, Christian life as an unmarried couple.
Days later on HuffPost Live, Marc Lamont Hill, Ph.D.,
interviewed hip-hop artist Future. Inevitably, Hill, in his role as celebrity
journalist (not as a scholar) turned their conversation to Ciara, Future
ex-fiancé, and mother of one of his children. Initially, Future’s comments
regarding Ciara were respectful, exemplary, and affirming. He spoke with a
measure of openness and vulnerability as a man who affirmed Ciara as the mother
of his young child, his former lover, and best friend. Future noted at least
twice that Ciara was discrete in her handling of the end of their engagement.
What he revealed was that their relationship ended, not because of his alleged
infidelity, but due to incompatible values and visions for their wedding and
marriage.
Building up to seeming barbershop talk, Hill’s demeanor
shifted to that of silly, giggling teenage boy as he posed a question from a
viewer: “Did Ciara make you wait the way she is making Russell Wilson wait?”
(Now, remember, according to Wilson, he was prompted by God to broach the
subject of abstinence—not Ciara.) Future seemed completely taken aback, caught
unawares, and even questioned Wilson motivation for making such a statement.
Clearly, Future is not scrolling or trolling for Ciara. The man seems focused
on his music, his babies, and his grind.
Even so, Future took Hill’s bait. Adamant that God did not
tell him to wait, Future then revealed an intimate detail that the world could
have done without. Apparently, Ciara had asked Future to pray with her after
sex. Future actually evoked that her request made an indelible impression on
him. He noted that no woman had ever asked him to pray after sexual intercourse
and that it moved him into a deeper relationship with her.
Both Wilson’s unprompted reveal and Future’s surprising
remarks muddy what could be otherwise healthy emotional and relational dynamics
with Ciara by reinforcing age-old stereotypes. Sex, and even its alternative,
abstinence, with a woman both men purported to respect were made tawdry,
salacious, and a public spectacle; as opposed to sacred, pristine, and private.
Ciara’s sexuality, without her apparent permission and participation was laid
bare at the altar of men’s prying (Hill's), need for adoration (Wilson's), and
virility (Future's).
These two public conversations about Ciara’s sexuality
actually say more about the men involved than about her. Yes, she was
objectified—in irony, the vocalist was made voiceless. But, the men were the
actors in these two cases. The men were inappropriate, indiscrete, casually
relaying intimate details best kept confidential. Ciara ought not bear the
burdens of these demonstrations of machismo and immature maleness like we women
tend to do. We must lay blame and responsibility properly. It is my hope that
she promptly conversed with both men to rectify proper, firm boundaries around
her sexuality. Women, individually and collectively, must do the same, and hold
and articulate self-determined acceptable standards.
Wilson’s behavior is particularly troubling. As a man
currently involved in what appears to be an otherwise adoring relationship with
Ciara, who seeks to be the epitome of virtue, he seemingly fails to understand
that “virtue” involves integrity, dignity, rectitude and honor. Instead of
upholding Ciara’s virtue, he actually violated it. Rectitude, or morally
correct behavior, under the pertinent circumstance required Wilson’s silence on
the matter of Ciara’s sexuality. In the words of Flagstaff, the knight from Shakespeare’s
Henry the Fourth, “The better part of valor is discretion.”
Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min. (ABD), a frequent
contributor to ForHarriet.com recently completed her dissertation on sex and
sexuality in the African American Baptist Church. Follow her @HumanStriving,
SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis, and
http:www.facebook.com/The.Reverend.Leah.CK.Lewis. Check out her personal blog
at http://humanstriving.blogspot.com.
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