The Cartoon that Caused a Racquet

My news feed has been filled with the thoughts and opinions of my friends, family and colleagues on the Serena Williams cartoon in the Herald Sun this week.

People have asked me my opinion on the matter, and I’ve felt like I’ve had to tread the line very carefully so as not to offend people. For some reason, everyone I know seems to be taking this debate to heart, even when some of them don’t have any reason to do so.

So I’ve kept my mouth shut and have played dumb.

My main reason for this has been the fact that I am a white woman, and I feel I have no right commenting on how people of colour feel after seeing the cartoon depiction of Williams.

But I actually do have a right. In fact, I have an obligation to speak up. Because the white voice is important in the war on racism. It is so important for people of colour to have the support of white people against people who are racist.

I do not believe by any means that Mark Knight was being intentionally racist in the publishing of that cartoon. However I think it was unintentionally racist. Why? I have seen Mark Knight’s cartoons before. And I can quickly pick up on who the person is. If you had have shown me the depiction of Williams in isolation (no court, no tennis racquet), I would not have been able to guess it was her. I don’t base…