In this excerpt by Claudia Rankine she is able to effectively describe the racism that affected both Serena and Venus Williams lives while playing tennis. Although they faced racism while on the court they were resilient and able to endure what was thrown at them. As Rankine perfectly described they were graphite against a white background.
Both the sisters were judged by the world by their behavior, loses, and wins harshly in the beginning because of their reactions to the injustices they were facing that the world didn’t want to see. The umpires were making bad calls because they were only looking at the color of Serena’s body not at the ball. Serena’s reaction to these injustice’s such as the finger wagging and repetitive no’s were apparently childish for the media for which they criticized her. The critical view the media had on her continued on when she
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When she won she did a celebratory dance in the middle of the court which according to the media was classless and immature. It wasn’t until Serena didn’t have any reaction to any calls or any injustices she faced was until the media said she has changed. Their ignorance was put on display as if they didn’t know why the reactions she made was caused by others not because of her own self. As Serena contained her reactions she became more ambiguous. Thus, the media began to reel in their crude remarks of her. Wozniacki’s imitation of Serena is of course playfulness because the media, the sharp white background, has finally achieved what they desired. A white, blond woman with the attributes of Serena Williams. This asserts Hennessy’s statement that in order for a person of color to become successful they must act white. The