Serena weighs in on violence, unrest back home: 'We have to love one another'
Serena Williams may be a continent away, with heady athletic pursuits demanding her attention, but she's all too aware of what's been going on back home in the United States.
After celebrating her landmark Wimbledon title on Saturday, Serena was asked to weigh in on the killing of five Dallas police officers by snipers on Thursday, which came on the heels of police officers killing two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, in Louisiana and Minnesota earlier in the week.
Racial unrest has been burbling for a while in the U.S., spurred in large part by the increasing number of video-documented killings of black people at the hands of police. It has Serena concerned; for herself, her family, and everyone whose skin color puts them in danger in her country.
"I feel anyone in my color in particular is of concern," Serena said. "I do have nephews that I'm thinking, do I have to call them and tell them, 'Don't go outside. If you get in your car, it might be the last time I see you'?
"This is something that I think is of great concern, because it will be devastating. They're very good kids. I don't think that the answer is to continue to shoot our young black men in the United States. It's just unfortunate. Or just black people in general."
It's not the first time Serena has spoken out on the issue during Wimbledon. Shortly after winning her semifinal match on Thursday, she tweeted about Castile's death.
In London I have to wake up to this. He was black. Shot 4 times? When will something be done- no REALLY be done?!?! pic.twitter.com/OaLn60G6nm
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) July 7, 2016
On Saturday, she decried the violence in Dallas, but stressed again that things need to change.
"Also, obviously, violence is not the answer of solving it," she said. "The shooting in Dallas was very sad. No one deserves to lose their life, doesn't matter what color they are, where they're from. We're all human. We have to learn that we have to love one another. It's going to take a lot of education and a lot of work, I think, to get to that point.
"But I think, in general, the entire situation is extremely sad, especially for someone like me. It's something that is very painful to see happening."