Black Futures – FIT IS A FEMINIST ISSUE

The Olympics is starting to look like it has a thing against Black women competing. I wrote that back when there were just a few of these issues and now there are more I want to add, “You think?”

See The Olympics Continues to Prevent Top Black Athletes From Competing for an analysis of the issues and a list of the athletes involved.

See also The Olympics Don’t Want Black Women To Win. Taryn Finley writes, “Sha’Carri Richardson, Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi and others have been disqualified in the 2021 Olympics because of policies that are racist and unjust. There is no grace for for Black women at the 2021 Olympics.”

And then there’s this tweet which also lists the issues.

Between swim caps, weed, and hormones, the Olympics really went hard at Black women this week. Though there’s no week that’s w/o misogynoir, anti-Blackness, or gender essentialism- this week has been quite spectacular in its handling of us.
— Treva B (@divafeminist) July 2, 2021

I know that some people want to say that these issues have nothing in common, that it’s not about race, it’s about rules that don’t mention race, but one thing all the cases have in common is that they target Black women Olympic athletes.

Ditto the swim cap story. There’s a lot of commentary that says competitive athletes would never wear such a swim cap since it would slow them down. Maybe that’s true. But if it puts someone at a competitive disadvantage, it’s hard to see why they’d be banned at the Olympics. It’s hard not to reach the conclusion that race is a factor and that the normative ideal of the Olympic athlete is white, in addition to being conventionally gendered.

Here are some of the relevant links:

Blocked From Her Signature Race, Caster Semenya Won’t Run in Tokyo

Clock ticking on Caster Semenya’s Olympic Career

Namibia teenagers out of Olympic 400m over high natural testosterone levels

Sha’Carri Richardson, a Track Sensation, Tests Positive for Mari

With 3 Short Words, Sha’Carri Richardson Just Taught an Incredible Lesson in Emotional Intelligence

Athletes will not be allowed to wear swim caps created for natural hair while competing in the coming Olympics

Soul Cap: Afro swim cap Olympic rejection

Swimming caps for natural black hair ruled out of Olympic Games

You might also want to read some of the past posts about Caster Semenya from Fit is a Feminist Issue:

Sexism, racism, and fear of successful women: the future of women in sport and the Caster Semenya decision

Women, sport and sex tests: Why Caster Semenya matters a great deal

Semenya’s future as champion in doubt

Link Roundup: Caster Semenya and the IAAF decision

And finally a few more words from Twitter.

We’ve written about the triumphs and challenges of two prominent Black women athletes, Serena Williams and Caster Semenya, and how they challenge stereotypes, sexism and racism by their achievements.

As a white women who strives to be an ally it feels weird to write a post about Black History Month but I decided it would be worse to trudge on with my monthly post not doing anything at all.

It’s Black History Month, a time for celebration of the contributions Black folks have made, the present Black people create and the Black futures we’ve yet to see. I’ve gathered a few links I hope you will find interesting.

Black History

I’m thankful of K. Tempest Bradford’s fantastic Black History Month Challenge

“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

There is A LOT of Black History to cover outside of those periods. Black Women in sport have accomplished and contributed so many things.

30 New Books About Inspiring Women for Black HistoryMonth

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/black-female-athletes-women-in-sports

Black Women in Sport JSTOR

https://olympic.ca/2019/02/14/black-athletes-who-made-olympic-sport-history-in-canada/

Black Present:

Building on the strong foundation of Black Women Athletes before them you can find out about the present during February as well.

36 Black Women Athletes You Need to Know

https://balletblack.co.uk/

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-sp-morgan-state-black-female-athlete-study-20180625-story.html

Black Futures:

Be sure to also include amazing Afrofuturist readings this February, imaging the future and reimagining our history. There are a great number of Black Authors and Artists sharing a vision of what could be.

If you are a Black Woman, thank you for reading my post. If you are a women looking to be a better ally take direct action by:

Buying from Black business owners
Seeking out & buying Black authored cookbooks to support your nutrition
Follow and financially support Black yogis
Seek out information on Black women athletes

How are you participating in Black History Month?

Category: Black Futures

Fit is a Feminist Issue Link Round Up #105: Black Women Athletes and the Olympics

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Black History, Black Present and Black Futures

“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

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“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t *only* about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

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“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”