Annotated Bibliography On Serena Williams

Black excellence; a term that is possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that black excellence cannot be achieved without understanding its relation to apparent racist perpetrations. In the essay entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, author Claudia Rankine states, “the notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” The prevalent absurdity exuded by this statement is the unfortunate reality we now inhabit.

Black excellence; a term possibly defined as the recognition and celebration of the successes of the black community. Lacking from the definition is the idea that black excellence cannot be achieved without understanding its relation to apparent racist perpetrations. In an essay discussing Serena Williams, entitled “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, by Claudia Rankine, she states, “the notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” The prevalent absurdity exuded by this statement is the unfortunate reality we now inhabit.

I asked Emma Nuzzi what she thought her biggest accomplishment was, she replied with “I would say becoming a very good tennis player.” Emma Nuzzi started playing tennis at age twelve, which she thinks was a late age. When Emma was in the seventh grade she told her gym teacher that she wanted to play tennis she then replied to Nuzzi with “Maybe.”, this did not encourage Emma at the time because her gym teacher was the varsity tennis coach. Emma did not let this get to her too much because she practiced and became the player that she is today.

Althea Gibson: the first African-American to win the French championships, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Nationals.

Serena Williams, along with her sister Venus, took part in the famous reality TV series called "Venus and Serena: For Real."

Winning the Girls 14s National Tennis Championships gave Natalia Kochkodan the chance to make a difference in the world and she jumped right onto that opportunity. In the 18 years that she has lived since the win, she has created a non for profit organization that assists disease stricken children in playing sports, has donated over 10 million dollars to several children’s charities including Ball For All and Project Fit

Althea Gibson was born in 1927 in South Carolina to two sharecroppers on a cotton farm. Her family later during the Great depression moved to Harlem. With the support of her neighbors for money, she received lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club and in 1941, she won the ATA national championship in the girls division (Trong).Althea gibson was a great influence and role model for African Americans by being the first African American to win as many championships as she did , showing what African Americans could accomplish in tennis, and opening doors for African Americans . Althea Gibson influenced African Americans by being the being the first African American to win as many championships as she did.

“It is different to imagine tennis without Serena Williams who have influenced a generation of female players and left a mark that no sibling in sport’s can equal”. (Glyn Clarke) Her prominence in tennis is growing this includes her impact on inspiring African American tennis players. Before Williams, black athletes faced unique challenges, but Williams helped promote progress , instead of over focusing on the negativity. She is working so that future athletes won't have to face the same inequality . “ Serena has been at or near the top of her sport longer than almost any other athletes. ”(Lindsay Gibbs) Before Serena entered no female had earned over 56 million dollars in prize money . Tennis today is much more depth and quality competition than existed during the 1970s and 1980s. When became the second African American women to claim a Grand Slam title , later becoming a U.S. Open Champion. Before Serena no tennis player brought a mixture of maturity, fashion , business and a foot in the entertainment realm as an actress. Williams had been the likely target for a new generation of record chasers yet to

During the earlier years of my tennis career, about the age of seven, my parents had learned of a nearby organization at Watkins Park Maryland. The organization was known as the Prince George’s Tennis and Education Foundation. It was here where I began to make my largest strides in my life, both academically and athletically.

She began to take part in athletics at an early age, taking the title of state bowling champion when she was only ten years old. Eventually, a new law would give girls the same sports opportunities as boys, and she immediately jumped into basketball (Hasday 1). Her outstanding performance on the court and in the classroom helped her gain entrance to Southeastern Louisiana University on scholarship, and she left the school as the third highest scorer in the history of the school’s women’s basketball program (“Robin Roberts” Notable 1). Because women’s professional sports was not very established at this time, Roberts knew she had to pursue something else. “Robin decided to combine her love of basketball with her strong interest in journalism. She gave little thought to the barriers facing women who wanted to work in sports, nor was she deterred because she is not only a woman, but also African-American” (Hasday 2). She landed her first job as a sports reporter for a radio station in Louisiana and worked her way around the South for a while before getting a call from ESPN two years later. When she joined the network, Roberts was the first African-American female anchor (“Robin Roberts” Notable 2). She was an instant hit with fans and critics, and by the end of the year, her versatility as a sports reporter was shown through many different aspects of

Purpose Statement: The purpose of my speech is to inform my audience about the history of tennis and about tennis itself.

She was also the first president of the Women’s Tennis Association, as well as helping to develop the WomenSports magazine (Baugess, 2012). Along with advocating for women in sports, Billie was also one of the first openly gay female athletes at the time. Although being public about her sexuality was not her choice. In 1981 Billie Jean King was publically outed by her girlfriend at the time Marilyn Barnett (Hingston, 2011). Marilyn Barnett filed a lawsuit against King for palimony leading for King to acknowledge her sexuality.

Serena Williams is the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Her outstanding skills have earned her 50 million dollars through just prizes; that is more than any other athlete in the world (“Serena Williams Fast Facts”). Her fast reflexes, amazing skills, and outgoing personality have made her known as a powerful woman and an inspiration to many young girls. This African-American woman is almost six feet tall and is made of steel. With her long, muscular legs and her quick arms, no wonder she is number one!

Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer shows the dedication and drive that women had to have in order to be successful at sports in the twentieth contrary. Billie Jean King who came from a very athletic family first got her inspiration to succeed at sports from the athletic sermons she herd in church every Sunday as a young child. One of her friends was starting to play tenses and she wanted to start also. After working around the neighborhood to earn the money for her first racket, Billie Jean King overcame many obstacles along with great personal struggles to become the best professional tennis player of her time.

Serena and Venus both began their career on the professional tour in the late 1990s. Early on both of the sisters began to show off their skills and surprised many people who did not know much about them. When they started they began to beat high ranked players on the pro tour. Serena won her first championship in 1999 at the Australian Open and Venus won her first championship in 2000 at Wimbledon. Serena’s Grand slam title victory in 1999 made her the second African-American woman to win a grand slam title, with Althea Gibson being the