UPDATE: Sept. 30, 2018 at 8:40 a.m. ET
Chris Wright, who shared the photo on Twitter, told Fair360, formerly DiversityInc that the little girl is his 9-year-old daughter, Ameya.
Thanks @Fair360, formerly DiversityInc for the great article about my daughter.
— Chris Wright (@CoachWright229) September 29, 2018
Wright told Fair360, formerly DiversityInc on Sunday that Ameya dressed as Serena Williams during homecoming week at her elementary school in Cairo, Ga.
He said she is slowly starting to get into tennis.
“Her grandfather loves it,” Wright said. “[They] made a deal a while back that she was going to try and make the varsity tennis team as a freshman. Right now, she is just having fun learning the game.”
Wright, who coaches girls’ basketball at Chattahoochee County Middle High School, said Williams “shows young Black women it’s okay to be strong and have voice.”
He added, “Our young Black girls need to see women in those positions. It lets them know they can do anything they put their minds to.”
Wright said that when his mother picked up Ameya from school on Friday, she told her the news that Williams had sent her a message on Twitter.
“Ameya screamed multiple times,” Wright said.
ORIGINAL STORY
Serena Williams, one of the world’s greatest athletes, is not only a role model for her one-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, but for other little girls who look up to her.
Twitter user Chris Wright shared a photo on Friday of an adorable Black girl dressed in a tutu, holding a tennis racket and striking a powerful pose.
Wright tagged Reddit co-founder, and Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian.
Super hero day at school. Who am I
@alexisohanian pic.twitter.com/PD9eLRbjpi
— Chris Wright (@CoachWright229)
September 28, 2018
The girl’s outfit was inspired by a black dress with a ballerina-style tutu skirt designed by Virgil Abloh in collaboration with Nike. Williams
wore the signature outfit to her first match at the US Open in August after being banned at the French Open from wearing a full-body Nike catsuit— which was to prevent blood clots.
“You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers,” Nike
tweeted on Aug. 25.
In response to Wright, Ohanian shared the photo of the little girl on his Twitter feed:
“This young lady is my superhero today,”
he wrote.
Then, Williams sent her own message:
Super Shero. Strong. Has a voice. And is beautiful. Love it.
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)
September 28, 2018
Wright replied:
Thank you so much. I can’t explain how much this will mean to that little girl. You two are amazing. She loves you and all you stand for
@serenawilliams thank you for being you.
— Chris Wright (@CoachWright229)
September 28, 2018
His
Twitter bio states he’s a Chattco Middle High School varsity assistant basketball coach. “Chattco” may be referring to Chattahoochee County Middle High School in Georgia.
Throughout her career, Williams has endured years of criticism from tennis insiders about her body shape, her hair and her clothing. She has endured racism, most recently following the
US Open controversy.
A media outlet in Australia
published a racist cartoon featuring Williams. Meanwhile, Australian athletes dressed up in blackface as Williams, and her sister, Venus.
She boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years following racist, verbal attacks shouted at her by spectators. Williams
returned to the tournament in 2015.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion and winner of four Olympic gold medals said when she saw Black girls from Compton in the crowd with signs she understood her significance as role model.
“I saw so many young Black girls, and they were so excited to see me,” Williams told
TIME magazine.
“One girl had up a sign that she was from Compton and she wanted to play tennis. It was an opportunity for me to realize that I’m here giving these people some sort of hope.”
