WEEKLY DISPATCH

On one hand, I was thrilled to witness Black women from across the globe competing for and winning medals in the widest range of Olympic events that I can recall. On the other hand, some of these Olympians endured an unfair amount of scrutiny and criticism. From the social media hate Simone Biles received for deciding to value her mental and physical wellbeing over Olympic glory, to the scolding Gwen Berry got for raising her fist before the hammer throw competition, to the questions now being raised about Namibian sprinter Christine Mboma’s gender after she won silver in the 200 meter final, and, of course, the trouble silver medalist Raven Saunders now finds herself in for raising her arms in an X above her head during the shotput award ceremony.

Together with all the pre-Olympics drama — sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s disqualification, Naomi Osaka’s run-ins with the media, and the cursory dismissal of the Black hair swim cap — the 2020/21 Games exposed, once again, how tough it is to be a Black woman athlete.

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled to begin in February, only a few months before the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s passage. Two years later, the Summer Olympic Games will return to Paris (it was last there in 1924). The storyteller in me thinks perhaps now is a good time to step up production of documentaries about Black women athletes. After all, their male counterparts aren’t the only barrier breakers to make history. The achievements of Olympians Laila Ali, Dominique Dawes, Florence Griffith Joyner, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Miller, Wilma Rudolph, and Venus and Serena Williams may be well documented. But Olympians like Tidye Pickett, Louise Stokes, Alice Coachman and Debi Thomas are fading into obscurity. The 2021 Olympic Games aren’t the only modern Games to have served up a rich cache of Black women’s stories. The questions are: Will they be told? And if so, how and by whom?

The presence of Black women athletes continues to grow worldwide. It is important to document the inequities they endure, the journey’s they’ve had as well as the achievements they make. After all, Black Girl “Magic” is a myth. Every medal we win is earned despite the unfair weight of racism and sexism — burdens that only true grit, mental toughness and the unwavering support of family and friends can offset.