Argumentative Essay: To Be A Black Woman In America

To be a Black Woman in America is a peculiar experience; it is both masterfully beautiful and painfully destructive. In the wake of the 2016 Olympics, one could see Black Women dominating in a multitude of competitive arenas including track and field, gymnastics, swimming, basketball, tennis, boxing, and fencing. Powerful athletes like Simone Biles, Allyson Felix, Clarissa Shields, and Ibtihaj Muhammad broke world records and stereotypes through their amazing feats of perseverance, athleticism, and endurance. Despite their triumphs, these athletes were publicly chastised for seemingly trivial issues of their hair, facial expressions, and perceived unpatriotic attitudes. Even in the world’s arena of athleticism and human spirit where social constructs such as race should be a non-factor, these women were vilified, subjugated, and disrespected by virtue of their marginal status of woman and black. Headlines of their accomplishments were filled with language steeped and smothered in sexism, misogyny, and racism. BBC reporter, John Inverdale, remarked that Andy Murray was the first athlete to win two gold medals in tennis.