This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, tennis star Serena Williams sat down with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, for an Instagram Live interview to discuss the current climate surrounding race relations in the United States.
The conversation came after the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died on May 25, 2020, after former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes.
Williams highlighted the importance of using her platform to elevate the issues of the current climate and using her voice to bring about change.
She said, 'At no point in my career, did I feel like I was ever in the wrong room, or that I was ever being judged.'
Williams also spoke about the importance of self-love, saying, 'They taught me the power of loving myself and it is, now more than ever, a great time to love yourself.'
The couple also discussed Ohanian's decision to resign from the board of Reddit, the social networking website he co-founded, and his desire to see the seat filled with a black candidate.
Williams spoke openly about the adversity she has faced over the course of her own life, despite her standing as a multiple major champion and world-renowned athlete.
She admitted life was not easy for her, but she learned to adapt to a lot of inequality.
Williams said, 'It's hard. It's something that, unfortunately, has become normal for us. It's normal to go to different places and feel unaccepted.'
She also spoke about the importance of teaching her daughter, Olympia, about the current time in history, saying, 'She is a pure, blank canvas. She only knows love.'
