The protests come after George Floyd, a Black American citizen, died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Some of his last words, “I can’t breathe” became the driving force of the demonstrations that have extended past the state and the country’s borders.
In July 2019, fellow tennis player Billie Jean King said Ms Williams should focus on tennis and stop acting like a celebrity and fighting for equality.
Ms Williams responded: “Well, the day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me, will be the day I’m in my grave.”
Social media-focused news outlet Now This shared the video to their Twitter, contributing to its popularisation.
The post was accompanied by the caption: “Serena Williams has a message for those who think she should just ‘focus on tennis’ and stop fighting for equality.”
In one of her latest Instagram posts Ms Williams shared an emotional video of a young Black girl delivering a speech about inequality.
Ms Williams’ caption read: “I can’t and still can’t find the words to say or express how sad I feel…. but she found them for me.
“She found them for so many of us. A lot of us are numb… lost for words… I know I am. This is a difficult time.
“A lot of us growing up were taught to pray ‘Let thy kingdom come,’ this is what I continue to pray for in addition to so many that have been hurt/killed, or simply traumatised by how people of a different colour are treated.
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“I wasn’t sure what I could say to you,” she added. “I wanted to say the right thing, and I was really nervous that I wouldn’t or that it would get picked apart.
“I realised, the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.
“Because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered.
“And so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know. Stephon Clark, his life mattered.”
Other sportspersons who, like Ms Williams, have spoken out against racism and inequality include Sumin Nagal, India’s top ranked men’s singles tennis player, who said athletes speak out about inequality.
Mr Nagal opened up about his personal experiences of racism whenever he travelled abroad and in Germany, where he trains.
“I understand from my experience how people feel about it because I have been there,” he wrote in a column for Hindustan Times where he also spoke about the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing protests in the US.
“I have often been asked different things and singled out in a group merely because I’m darker.
“I have been questioned more every time I get out of the plane in a few countries because of my colour.
“These things have happened to me frequently. I’m very, very sure I will be picked again and again—because I know this is seen as normal.”
