Cartoonists who draw racist images often defend their rights to "free speech," artistic license, and satire. Those of us who have been the targets of their poison pen and ink over centuries have no sympathy for the perpetuation of racist stereotypes depicting black people in distorted, demeaning and dehumanizing imagery.
I was pleased to see immediate push-back against the most recent example, drawn by Australian cartoonist Mark Knight — not just here in the States, but from around the globe.
An Australian artist’s racist Serena Williams cartoon receives swift and international blowback
In the new cartoon, which mocks the heated exchanges between runner-up Serena Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos, Knight depicts the 23-time Grand Slam champion as a pacifier-sucking young child throwing a tantrum. The umpire says to eventual champion Naomi Osaka: “Can you just let her win?”
In doing so, Knight draws facial features reflecting the dehumanizing Jim Crow caricatures so common in the 19th and 20th centuries. Knight’s cartoon conjures up a range of such caricatures that were branded on memorabilia and popularized on stage and screen of the era, including the minstrel-show character Topsy born out of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” as well as the title character in 1899’s “Little Black Sambo.”
Serena Williams Cartoon ‘Not About Race,’ Artist Says. Experts Strongly Disagree.
Mark Knight, an Australian cartoonist who ignited outrage with his depiction of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, says it had nothing to do with racism. Other cartoonists say there’s no way that’s true.
If you follow tennis or Twitter, at all, you’ve probably seen the cartoon showing Serena Williams stomping on her racket in her United States Open loss on Saturday, with her features exaggerated into a caricature.
It’s a product of Australia — from The Herald Sun, a tabloid in Melbourne owned by Rupert Murdoch. And it has set off an international storm of outrage, with athletes, fans and even J.K. Rowling denouncing the cartoon as sexist and racist.
Fair warning — I am not posting this to debate about what Serena did or didn’t do. I also have no interest in re-fighting the fights that have taken place here about racism and cartoons. If you can’t see it suggest you read the statement made by Black Kos and allies about racist depictions and labels used for President Obama — and the gorilla depictions of President Obama drawn by cartoonist Ted Rall — thankfully no longer posting here.
For a beautiful diary about Serena — read JoanMar.
