To many Black people, Serena Williams is us, and we are her | Opinion

For so long, for so many people, whenever Serena Williams played in a big match and it was televised, their world stopped.

For many Black people, however, she is something much bigger than that.

She is the Black astronaut launched into space after being told she'd never leave Earth.

She is the Black person overcoming double standards.

She is the Black person called angry when he's not, mentally soft when he's strong, told to be quiet when his voice is needed.

Serena Williams, as she heads into retirement, is our Black hero.

“I had to make people realize that it's OK to be Black and to play tennis.

"It was just that I had to force people to see me because of my game," she said.

We know how gingerly she's had to walk, the lines she's had to tiptoe around, the carefulness of the steps she's taken, because tennis didn't want a Black woman there.

Because Serena Williams is us