WIMBLEDON, England - Once, Althea Gibson was barred from the grounds. A half-century later, the Williams sisters have won six singles titles.
Once, Gibson won two singles titles and had no prize money. Saturday, Venus Williams earned more than $1.407-million. Yet, said her father, Richard, not enough has changed.
"What it means to me, from the way I see things, is that blacks are treated the same way here at Wimbledon as when she (Gibson) was coming along in the '50s, " he said. "I don't see it any different than now. I will always see it that way."
Minutes after his daughter won her fourth Wimbledon title, he was talking as usual outside Centre Court. The Times asked about the significance of Gibson's breakthrough win in 1957, and he was off and running.
"If you're past 10 years old, you know what I'm talking about, " he said. "I turn on the TV here, and you can't find one black player, not one black man or woman or child, on TV that does a commercial. And we came here four days before the tournament. Why don't the English have one black (person) doing a damn commercial? I'm not saying they don't, but I've been here three weeks, and I haven't seen it, and I've taped everything. Not one. What 50 years are you talking about?"
Throughout the careers of daughters Venus, 27, and Serena, 25, Richard Williams has been outspoken, often amusing and often controversial. As he talked Saturday, his voice rose.
"I don't think there has been progress anywhere in America. In America, (George W.) Bush was the governor of Texas, and they pulled a black man down the street with his neck separated from his head (the James Byrd Jr. murder in 1998 in Jasper). Nothing has changed, and nothing's going to change. The only way I can see things changing is for the black people in America to do the same thing the Iranians are doing, and that's to fight until the s--- is over with. And this interview is over with."
career influencer, investigator, legal researcher and advisor to business and non profit start ups.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Mr. or Ms. Mrs. Anonymous
This article is for you. It's not that I don't know nothing it's really that what I'm interested in addressing and what you're interesting in addressing is two entirely different things. Enjoy, it's the words of the Tennis Stars' father:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment