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 this and, on several occasions, came dangerously close to “being murdered.”
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 difficult environment to help shape their mindset.
During his childhood he had already encountered the harsh reality of racism. He once shared that he had witnessed the lynching of a friend in the 1940s and 1950s, an experience that affected him deeply.
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 claimed there was no police investigation and no action was taken.
“There was no investigation, there was no police car. But that was life. I was almost killed so many times. Many times,” Venus Williams’ father Richard told CNN in 2015.
Speaking about moving to Compton with her daughters, she 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.”
“That’s the hardest time I’ve ever had in the world” – Venus Williams’ father Richard on Indian Wells racism controversy
A controversial incident occurred in Indian Wells in 2001 when Venus Williams withdrew from her semi-final match against her sister Serena just ahead of schedule, citing 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 This led to widespread speculation and accusations that Venus had withdrawn to avoid facing her sister in the final.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 the final against Kim Clijsters, with her father Richard and Venus in the stands supporting her, they were met with a hostile crowd. Many observers believed the hostility was fueled by racial prejudice. The booing during the match was intense and both sisters later shared how uncomfortable and painful the experience was for them.
It was another encounter with racism for Richard, possibly the one that traumatized him the most. He revealed to the media that he heard a bystander talk about “skinning him alive.” Fearing for his safety, he vowed never to return to the tournament again.
“That’s the hardest time I’ve ever had in the world,” Williams said. “I’ll never go back to Indian Wells because I think that guy would skin me alive.”
Both sisters boycotted the tournament, with Serena returning in 2015 and Venus doing the same a year later in 2016.
Venus Williams and father Richard remember a match the seven-time Grand Slam champion “should have won”
Edited by Pritha Ghosh.