Intersecting black, female and athlete

Since the beginning of history, sports have always been a male dominated area. Up until Jackie Robinson was named the first African-American man to play in major league baseball, it was completely colorless. Jackie Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play sports. Not only did he inspire black men, but also black women. Although there were many black women,

one in particular happened to be Alice Coachmen. She was the first African-American woman to win an olympic gold medal in 1948. Coachmen did not have the same resources as others because of the color of her skin. She was denied access to training facilities and participating in organized sports. That didn't put out the fire in her heart to play sports, it ignited it even more. Instead of quitting and making excuses, she used dirt roads to run on and created her own hurdles to practice jumping. Where there weren't opportunities to further develop her athleticism, she created them; without the help of her unsupportive parents.

A black female athlete: it's hard for society to intersect those 3 terms. It has a lot to do with sports being seen as a masculine enterprise. When women are involved with sports, their femininity is always questioned; especially black women. Which goes back to the notion that only men should be able to play sports and women should do things that solidify the fact that they are women. For black women, questioning our gender has been connected to social history that has questioned our femininity. On the contrary, historically "white femininity" was constructed to secure sexism. White women were ordered to be homemakers and mothers. Which is why when you talk about women and sports, it's challenging to connect black female athletes and white female athletes because the experiences are widely different.

Serena Williams, experiences a lot of the hardships that come with being a black athlete. Instead of her contributing her success as a professional tennis player to being naturally athletic, there are people who question her true gender; basically labeling her a hermaphrodite. In 2014, a Russian tennis official called Serena and her sister, Venus "The Williams Brothers". The racist insults dehumanize black women as a whole and attack our womanhood. However, it's common for black accomplishments to be met with dehumanizing, racist remarks. A black woman can't represent American sports in the eyes of white America.