Author: Camryn

Just over a month ago, I posted about a Nike ad that covered women as a collective. Now, this ad just covers a Jamaican woman olympic sprinter, Caster Semenya. This woman happens to be one of the best in what she does. However, people always give her mess about her build and where she comes from. Let me inform you, Usain Bolt is also from Jamaica and is the fastest man ever. So, just because she’s dominating in women’s track and field, it’s considered a problem or as some would say, she had an advantage. Nike wanted people to see the work she’s been through and all the times she questioned if she was really doing what she loved. People believed she was being ‘too fast’ in most cases considering she always won. She always questioned “Do I need to stop winning?” “Do I need to run slower?” Just so that people can see who she her for her.

 

Just a couple weeks ago, Nike put out this commercial specifically about how women are looked over in every aspect of the sports world. Now, this commercial covered all women of every ethnicity. However, the only problem I have with this commercial are the moments it emphasized where black women are specifically targeted. For instance, in one of the two scenes, they talk about how just because they’re good, they’re taking something or are on something and it showed a black women running in a track meet, Caster Semenya. It just shows how black women are given specific sports that they have to be dominant in. They never expect black women to be just as great in a sport such as swimming. However, there is still this narrative on Serena Williams about how she ‘attacked’ an official during one of her matches that cost her the victory. A lot of people called her emotional because of her reaction but if it was a guy, this story wouldn’t be as interesting as it is considering she’s a woman. All in all, women are overlooked and it’s about time the world appreciates women and their greatness.

 

here’s the link to the commercial:

While reading this article by Toni Cade Bambara, it opened my eyes and made me appreciate black women even more than I already do. Bambara states “Most Black women have to work to help house, feed, and clothe their families. Black women make up a substantial percentage of the black working force, and this is true for the poorest Black family as well as the so-called ‘middle-class’ family.” As I thought more and more about this particular quote, it made me realize that women were the true breadwinners during this time period but were portrayed as the ones to do the easy work. Bambara also says “A women who stays at home caring for children and the house often leads an extremely sterile existence. She must lead her entire life as a satellite to her mate.” I 100% disagree with this considering how women were the stepping ground during that time period and even now. Women are the foundation to any and everything, black women especially. Black women has sacrificed so much for our black men that we sometimes forget to appreciate them and thank them for all they’ve done for us. I can honestly say that this article hit home with the idea that Black women aren’t appreciated as much as they should be. Also, taking into consideration that they are either downplayed or swept under the rug for achieving the greatness they achieve.