Serena May Have Lost, But She’s Not Defeated!
There is something about this image that had me staring at it all day yesterday and this morning too. This is Serena Williams after her blow-up, not meltdown, with umpire Carlos Ramos who accused her of cheating during yesterday’s match at the 2018 US Open final. This is Serena Williams, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, sitting in the wake of sexism and racism’s microaggressive fuckery. This image is heartbreaking. It’s sobering. It’s a reflection. A Black Woman Selfie. This is the face of someone whose last button was just pushed and who, at the end of her rope, has decided she is not going to fall. But she ain’t going to struggle to climb up that rope again either. In this picture Serena Williams, Compton raised and fortified, has decided to go and build her own damn ladder and climb that joint as high, or as low, as she needs to go. She is sitting there biting her lip, holding in much of her rage, pain, and dissatisfaction and portioning the rest out (RIP to her racket). The anger that she contains flows into Spirit. I know this look. It’s a tsunami. It’s not a meltdown, it’s a firing up! This is the look of a changed/ing woman. This is a new mother with new fight in her blood. She’s not simmering. She is CONJURING! I’m going to get this pic blown up and hang it in my living room like older folk do with portraits of Jesus and Malcolm. This is my new normal. This is the face of a winner. This is the look of a survivor. This is me. #HeavyIsTheHead