Serena Williams writes a Powerful Essay On Race And Gender Inequality

Serena Williams gets more and more inspiring by the day. Fresh from her Wimbledon victory in the summer, the tennis star was targeted by body shamers after one Twitter troll said she was “built like a man” and since then the 34-year-old appears to have become more determined than ever to inspire other women to succeed. The star has spoken out against race and gender inequality in schools, sports and the technology industry in a powerful essay published in WIRED magazine.

Trading in her tennis racket for a role as guest editor on the publication’s current issue, Williams looks at the importance of giving women and people of different colours and nationalities important positions within the aforementioned industries.

She begins by mentioning the achievements she’s already accomplished – tennis wins aside.

Writing about opening two schools in Kenya, Williams explained she “had to fight” to ensure the schools were made up of at least 40 per cent girls, as sometimes in Africa “they send only the boys to school.”

Williams wants to help more women and people of different colours and nationalities succeed in tech. “I’m a black woman, and I am in a sport that wasn’t really meant for black people,” she writes. “Together we can change the future.”

“And when we’re not talking, we can get coding. Adria Richards has suggested solutions to online harassment, including my favourite, Send-a-Puppy, where you’d send a digital doggy to support someone who’s being harassed. And we can champion efforts that get kids interested in computers, efforts like Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girls Code.”

Explaining that nothing like Black Girls Code existed when she was growing up, Williams says it’s clear we’re making progress. But there’s more work to be done.

“We can keep working even more to increase equality—whether it’s making sure to interview black candidates for tech jobs or standing up to cyber-bullying or making sure that our technology is designed by all kinds of people. Eventually we’re going to make the world better. For everyone. And hopefully my next school will be 50-50.”