Patricia Collins Black Feminism

Patricia Collins defined Black feminist thought as feminism made by black women for black women. It acknowledges that not all black women have the same experiences, but there are many experiences they share. Collins hopes that black women can use the shared and unshared experiences to create the framework of feminism which can help women and the world understand black women. Serena Williams is someone who Collins would consider a Black feminist. Undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players and athletes of all time, Serena has many accolades including, a No. 1 raking five different years beginning in 2002, the most Grand Slam titles of any female, and is the highest paid women’s tennis player to date (WTA). These incredible feats are not

All while under the world’s spotlight in her rise to fame. For the amount of work and dedication that Serena puts into her training, she is one of the most critiqued athletes of all time, but that did not stop her from fighting and being an advocate for black women everywhere. She has fought all of her life for greatness on and off the court. Serena has never been afraid to stand up for what she believes in whether that is women’s rights, equal pay, racial equality, or body positivity. In an interview with CNN, Serena said "the cycles of poverty, discrimination, and sexism are much, much harder to break than the record for Grand Slam titles. Women of color have to work on average eight months longer to earn the same as their male counterparts do in one year" (CNN, gender pay gap). Due to her strong advocacy for equality and persistence, Serena Williams should be considered a Black feminist. Collins’ theories in Black Feminist Thought, which identify and clarify what it means to be a Black feminist, align with the actions and opinions of Serena. With evidence from this book and her life, it will be shown how Serena is a Black

She argues that there are four different controlling images that black women face not limited to but including, “the mammy, the welfare queen, the matriarch, and the jezebel” (Collins, 81-90). Each is a result of ideologies formed in the slave era that have persisted and manifested and are used in an attempt to control black women to satisfy the dominant group’s desire to subdue black women (Collins, 79). The mammy figure consists of a domestic servant, an image used to justify the exploitation of the black female (Collins, 80). This image is made to shape how black women care for their children as well as to prolong the oppression of gender and sexuality (Collins, 80-81). Serena recently had her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.. In an interview with Vogue, she discusses the struggles every mother faces when having a child. She doesn’t seem concerned about how the public views her as a mother or how this image will control her, but dives into how the actual birth of her daughter went. Serena describes her pregnancy as uneventful and normal but the birth of Alexa was anything but (Vogue). In an interview with BBC, Serena said "doctors aren't listening to us, just to be quite frank, I was in a really fortunate situation where I know my body well,