Richard, the father of Serena and Venus Williams, once made a candid confession about his experiences with racism as a black man in America. He revealed that he was no stranger to this and, on several occasions, had been dangerously close to being “killed”.
Richard grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, before moving to Saginaw, Michigan, Long Beach, California, and eventually to Compton. His goal was to provide a challenging environment for his daughters to help shape their mindset.
During his childhood, he had already faced the harsh reality of racism. He once said that he witnessed the execution of a friend in the 1940s and 1950s, an experience that deeply affected him.
The 82-year-old recalled the death of another friend who was run over by a white woman. The woman claimed it was the victim's fault, and Richard He stated that no investigation was conducted by the police or any action was taken.
“There was no investigation, there was no police car. But that was life. I was on the verge of being killed several times. It was hell a lot of times,” Richard, Venus Williams’ father, told CNN in 2015.
Speaking about moving to Compton with his daughters, he said:
“To be successful, you have to prepare for the unexpected – and I wanted to prepare for that. Criticism can bring out the best in you.
“This is the hardest time I've ever had in the world” – Venus Williams' father Richard speaks about the racial controversy in Indian Wells
A controversial incident occurred in Indian Wells in 2001 when Venus Williams She withdrew from her semi-final match against her sister Serena just before it was scheduled to take place, due to a knee injury. This led to widespread speculation and accusations that Venus withdrew to avoid facing her sister in the final.
When Serena played in the final against Kim Clijsters, with her father Richard and Venus in the stands to support her, they were met with a hostile crowd. Many observers believe that the hostility was fueled by racial prejudice. The booing during the match was intense, and the sisters later shared how uncomfortable and painful the experience was for them.
It was another encounter with racism for Richard, and perhaps the one that shocked him the most. He revealed to the media that he heard a viewer talking about being “skinned alive.” Fearing for his safety, he vowed not to return to the tournament again.
“This is the hardest time I've ever had in the world,” Williams said. “I will never go to Indian Wells again, because I think that man will skin me alive.”
The sisters boycotted the tournament, and Serena returned in 2015, followed by Venus a year later in 2016.
Venus Williams and father Richard remember a match in which she won the Grand Slam tournament 7 times “He should have won”
Edited by Pritha Ghosh
