Tennis champ Serena Williams hit a winner Sunday in her Twitter response to Meghan Markle’s heartbreaking revelations about the racism she faced within the royal family and its failure to protect her against bigoted news coverage.
“I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us,” the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner wrote after the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry gave a blockbuster interview to Oprah Winfrey that aired Sunday. “We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism.”
Meghan said the palace expressed concern about the color of her son Archie’s skin while she was pregnant, and she scorched the family for failing to challenge biased and false coverage of her in the news tabloids.
Williams sympathized with Meghan’s description of the “pain and cruelty” that drove her to consider taking her own life, and the palace’s alleged denial of counseling.
“The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal,” Williams wrote. Noting the duchess’s announcement that she is expecting a girl, Williams added: “I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect.”
Williams and Meghan reportedly met at a Super Bowl event in 2010, and the tennis star attended her royal wedding in 2018.
Later that year, Williams publicly urged a then-expecting Meghan to “stop being so nice” as she juggled pregnancy and a reportedly tense royal life. Meghan has supported Williams at tennis matches as well.
At times, however, the tennis star has stayed mum on Meghan matters. But not this time.