via nbcolympics.com
Gabby Douglas is the first black gymnast to receive an individual gold medal.
Simone Biles has won more world championship medals than any U.S. athlete in history.
Laurie Hernandez scored ahead of Olympic Champion Aly Raisman on the balance beam in her latest international competition, at only 16 years old, in her first year as a senior gymnast.
These women of color make up 3/5 of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastic team, alongside Olympic veteran Aly Raisman, and talented 4-year senior Madison Kocain. What a victory for representation in the Olympics. It’s quite evident that some sports are racially dominated (the fact that Gabby is the first black gymnast of any gender to receive a gold medal should tell you that), and gymnastics is one of those. It traditionally lacks diversity, mainly because of socioeconomic factors. In order to be successful in gymnastics, you have to have enough money to pay to use the facilities and participate in competitions. But in poorer colored neighborhoods there are no facilities to use.
It really takes a village — the same village that woke Venus and Serena Williams up at 6am to practice their tennis before school; tennis being another racially dominated sport that wasn’t so popular on the familiar streets of Compton. It takes parents who are willing to go against the odds to make their kids successful in something they’ve been repeatedly shut out of. It makes me admire the hustle so much more.
Douglas was ambitious, to say the least. She was a Virginia State Gymnastics Champion at the age of 8. As a young black girl who hasn’t exactly seen a whole lot of gymnasts like her, this would be a good place to stop. That is success when you look at the circumstances. But the Douglas family saw more.
Biles’ natural talent was discovered at an early age by a gymnastics coach; a natural talent that may not have been encouraged if it weren’t for her supportive grandparents. They raised her in lieu of her substance-abusing mother, and their positivity is the backbone of Biles’ success. It’s that kind of love that sees opportunity in a world where opportunity is shielded from the eyes of a young black girl.
Hernandez may not have been discovered to have a natural talent, but she saw something she wanted for herself and went out and got it. Her accomplishments, as well as her charm, speak for themselves. She’s amazing to watch, when you realize that she is only 16 and challenging the ranks of seasoned gymnasts. Most importantly, she is the first US-born Hispanic woman to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1984.
So, if you didn’t get why this is such a big deal, now you know. This is one of the biggest victories for representation in 2016. Every time a young woman of color breaks a barrier, she also opens a door for the next generation. Every Olympics, new opportunities are more visible than ever.
This year’s Fab Five is not what America should look like. It’s what America already looks like. This team is a reflection of what we tend to ignore in this country: diversity of race, talent, and potential. Welcome to Rio, girls.
