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Still, They Will Rise: Black Women Athletes and the Tokyo Olympics
By Hettie V. Williams, PhD
“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll Rise.”
— May Angelou
Simone Biles has critics who would rather see her break her neck or lose her life so that the nation can gloat over a gold medal. “My mental was not there,” stated Biles upon her decision not to compete in the Olympic women’s team gymnastics competition for this week at the Tokyo games. With this statement, a barrage of vitriol came her way. Angry white man Charlie Kirk went so far as to call Biles a “selfish sociopath” for pulling out of the women’s team gymnastics finals competition on Tuesday. This is a vile and monstrous statement coming from someone with no Olympic level athletic experience. More recently, failed journalist Piers Morgan added his commentary to the mix by tweeting that the decision made by Biles was “a joke.” Clay Travis, another white man, called Biles “a quitter.” These clowns all have zero Olympic medals and, apparently, no sense — mansplaining at its worse. It seems some in white America believe Biles is their water girl or servant. She is not but rather the G.O.A.T. or greatest gymnast of all time. Put some respect on her name.