Serena and Venus Williams’ father, Richard, once candidly admitted his experiences with racism as a black man in America. He revealed that he was no stranger to it and that on several occasions he came dangerously close to “being killed”.
Richard grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, before moving to Saginaw, Michigan, Long Beach, California, and finally Compton. Her goal was to provide her daughters with a challenging environment to help shape their mentality.
During his childhood, he had already been confronted with the harsh reality of racism. He once described witnessing the lynching of a friend in the 1940s and 1950s, an experience that had a profound effect on him.
The 82-year-old recalled the death of another friend who was run over by a white woman. The woman claimed it was the victim’s fault and Richard said there was no police investigation or action taken.
“There was no investigation, there was no police car. But that was life. I was almost killed many times. Very often,” Venus Williams’ father Richard told CNN in 2015.
Speaking about moving to Compton with his daughters, he said:
“To be successful, you have to prepare for the unexpected – and I wanted to prepare for that. Criticism can bring out the best in you.
‘It’s the hardest time in the world I’ve ever been through’ – Venus Williams’ father Richard on Indian Wells racism controversy
A controversial incident occurred at Indian Wells in 2001 when Venus Williams withdrew from her semi-final match against her sister Serena just ahead of schedule, due to a knee injury. This led to widespread speculation and accusations that Venus had withdrawn to avoid facing her sister in the final.
When Serena played in the final against Kim Clijsters, with her father Richard and Venus in the stands to support her, they were met with a hostile crowd. Many observers believed the hostility was fueled by racial prejudice. The boos during the match were intense and both sisters later shared how uncomfortable and hurtful the experience was for them.
It was a new encounter with racism for Richard, perhaps the one that traumatized him the most. He revealed to the media that he had heard an onlooker talking about “skinning him alive.” Fearing for his safety, he vowed never to participate in the tournament again.
“This is the hardest time in the world I have ever experienced,” Williams said. “I’m never going to Indian Wells again, because I think that guy would skin me alive.”
Both sisters boycotted the tournament, with Serena returning in 2015 and Venus following suit a year later in 2016.
Venus Williams and father Richard remember a match that seven-time Grand Slam champion ‘should have won’
Edited by Pritha Ghosh
