Billie Jean King on achieving true equality
Tennis champion and social justice champion Billie Jean King's new autobiography is titled "All In."
When I was 12, I was sitting at the Los Angeles Tennis Club when I noticed that everyone who played tennis wore white clothes, white shoes – and everyone who played was White.
I asked myself, "Where is everyone else?"
Even by then, I had experienced sexism, and I'd seen racism at work. I just knew things had to change. So, from that moment on, I decided to commit my life to being a champion of equality for all.
The best leaders lead for everyone. And yet, there are those who think women only lead for women.
Why would we marginalize ourselves by focusing on half the world when we can have real impact by focusing on the entire population?
Sometimes people say to me, "Thanks for what you did for women's tennis." I smile and I say, "Thank you." But they would never say that to a male tennis player. They would say, "Thank you for what you did for tennis."
I have always tried to help ALL of tennis, not just women's tennis.
Look at Naomi Osaka. Last year she used her platform to ask what the Black Lives Matter movement meant to us. More recently, she and U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles prompted important worldwide discussions about mental health.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeannie Buss and Kim Ng, of the Miami Marlins, are two of the highest-ranking sports executives in the country. They aren't managing women's teams; they are leading men's teams. Women get more attention when we do something in the men's arena.
We don't do it alone. I have had many male allies champion me.
This is a time of fresh thinkers who are challenging entrenched power and valuing inclusivity over divisiveness, action over reaction. And none of us is disqualified from leading for any reason.
We all bleed red.
Each of us is an influencer. So, next time you see a woman leading, don't limit or underestimate her. Show up. Stand up. Speak up.
For more info:
- billiejeanking.com
- "All In: An Autobiography" by Billie Jean King, with Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers (Random House), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound
Story produced by Amy Wall. Editor: Kevin McLaughlin.