Serena Williams is quite upset with Ilie Nastase for asking a rhetorical question about her unborn baby soon after she went public with the news of her pregnancy. The tennis star took to Instagram to make a profound statement in reaction to Ilie Nastase said.
She wrote: It disappoints me to know we live in a society where people like Ilie Nastase can make such racist comments towards myself and my unborn child. I humbly thank the ITF for any consideration given to all the facts in this case.
I have said it once and I’ll say it again, this world has come so far but yet we have so much further to go…. I am not afraid unlike you. You see, I am no coward. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? You may shoot me with your words … you may try to kill me with your hatefulness, but still like air, I rise.
Last week, Nastase, in response to Williams’ pregnancy announcement, said at a press conference, “Let’s see what colour it has… Chocolate with milk?” According to USA Today, Nastase was unrepentant after being suspended from the Fed Cup for abusing the British team and the referee in a playoff.
Nastase, the Romania captain, also didn’t believe that his remarks about the unborn child of Williams were racist. “I want to know what word I used is racist?” he asked the Associated Press by phone on Monday from Budapest, Hungary. He also said he was a friend of Williams.
However you look at it, Nastase’s comment is not appropriate and should have duly apologised. But as to whether it based on the premise of racism is what I find hard to deduce. Perhaps our emotion as black people has become very fragile so that’s possibly the interpretation Serena could ascribe to the comment.
