What Black Women Athletes are Teaching Us About Reclaiming Our Time

The Olympic games of 2020 may have been put on hold. But this past summer, Black women athletes picked up right where they left off and proceeded to take our breath away with their talents. Their journeys have shown us that they should be praised for more than just their physical talents. Athletes like Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and Sha’Carri Richardson are putting their mental health first and paving the way for other Black women to do the same. 

After competing at the World Championship in October 2019, Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in the world. (1)  Gymnastics enthusiasts and ordinary spectators alike were waiting for Simone’s return to the Olympic stage this summer to see her complete the seemingly impossible and rake in more gold medals. As expected, she continued to stun spectators with her gravity-defying routines. However, on July 27, 2021 she announced she would be withdrawing from the women’s all-around gymnastics final due to mental health reasons. (2)  Suddenly, the people who were so in awe of her talents became the same people attempting to shame her for making the healthiest decision for herself. "I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being. That’s why I decided to take a step back," Biles told the press. (3) Even the best gymnast in the world needs a break sometimes and it’s inspiring to see her put her mental health first. 

Naomi Osaka, a Japanese-born tennis player, is another athlete who prioritized her mental health over the demands of athletic organizations. Naomi chose to withdraw from the French Open in order to preserve her mental health after declining to participate in mandatory press conferences. (4) “I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health. I stand by that,” Naomi wrote in a personal essay. “Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.” (4) Naomi continues to urge professional athletic organizations to make amendments to their rules that recognize how mental health plays a role in an athlete’s performance.

We all watched as Sha’Carri Richardson became the fastest woman in America with her 10.86 second time in the Olympic Trials 100 m race. With that win under her belt, she was on her way to the Tokyo Olympics. Shortly afterwards, we were saddened to learn she’d been suspended as a result of testing positive for marijuana. During this time, Sha’Carri was coping with the recent passing of her biological mother, which she found out about from a news reporter during an on-camera interview. “To hear that information coming from a complete stranger, it was definitely triggering,” she told the Today Show. (5) She even tweeted the simple message, “I am human” when the public scrutiny was at its highest. As we watch these incredibly talented athletes make history, it’s important to not lose sight of the fact that we all bleed the same. Since then, Sha’Carri has been met with overwhelming support from the Black community, especially Black women. She continues to compete and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the young track star.

These women standing in their truths and acknowledging their humanity has empowered so many Black women to do the same. There have been plenty of times, we’ve been made to feel like we must “perform” to a certain level so other people can benefit from our hard work. It’s amazing to witness these Black women saying ‘no’ while not over apologizing for their decision to put themselves first. This is a huge moment in history for young black women and girls to see women who look like them choosing to prioritize their mental health.

We hope to see this have a ripple effect not only in the Olympics, but throughout the nation and eventually the world. People will see that Black women are done carrying the burdens of the world. They will see that we are serious about reclaiming our time, just like Congresswoman Maxine Waters taught us.