Again, we ask, why are people threatened by talented, outspoken, confident Black women? Because we are not supposed to be all those things, all at once. Nearly 20 years after Jennifer (Bruening) McGarry wrote about how Black women athletes’ authentic selves are silenced in mainstream media, her piece still speaks to how Black women are represented. When the media and fans call Clark one thing and Reese another, it affirms the narrative that when white women do it, it’s acceptable; but when Black women do it, it’s a problem.

“I’m so thankful that when I went to UConn I had a great experience on the basketball court, I had a great experience in the classroom, I had an amazing experience creating with players who were human, who were real, who were at the forefront of these fights as you look at a lot of the WNBA teams who were kneeling and were part of those movements and who were loud about it, and who were proud about what they were fighting for, as they should,” says Batouly Camara.