Confronting Injustice Without Making a Scene

I'm sure Rankine's essay about Serena William's and her "outburst" is something that struck a chord with everyone. It angered me, enlightened me, and worried me. What most stuck with me from that essay was the "'calm and measured logic"' described of Arthur Ashe, another African American tennis star known for his historic win at Wimbledon, and his work as a civil rights activist. Rankine notes that "Arthur Ashe, who the sportswriter Bruce Jenkins felt was "dignified" and "courageous" in his ability to confront injustice without making a scene" (35).  The sportswriter aforementioned, Jenkins, goes on to critique Williams for using a protest technique that I believe most people would feel is quite peaceful, the act of boycott. Instead of "dignified" or "courageous", Jenkins only describes her actions as "stubborn". Williams solely exercised her right to avoid an environment where she had previously been traumatized in, but of course someone felt the need to ridicule her for not performing in the match. I wonder, when this asinine scrutiny will stop, not just for athletes like Serena Williams, but for other African American citizens living in a "progressive" nation that doesn't seem ready to color in its "sharp white background" (29).