Read Serena Williams’ Vital Message About Black Anxiety Around Police

We're clearly entering a golden age of socially conscious athletes. As the United States undergoes one of its most important eras of social upheaval since the late '70s, American athletes have been anything but silent. And that's a good thing. Colin Kaepernick's silent protest has spawned numerous supporters. At this point, it's almost more conspicuous to remain silent. Now, add Serena Williams to the list of athletes speaking out against police violence. The greatest tennis player of all time wrote a powerful message about the anxiety she feels as a Black woman around police. Her Facebook post was personal and about family. "In the distance I saw cop on the side of the road. I quickly checked to see if he was obliging by the speed limit," she wrote. "Then I remembered that horrible video of the woman in the car when a cop shot her boyfriend. All of this went through my mind in a matter of seconds. I even regretted not driving myself. I would never forgive myself if something happened to my nephew. He's so innocent. So were all 'the others'" Williams' account is important in part because she's so famous. Williams is famous all over the world. If even she, who every policeperson must know, feels anxiety, how must everyone else feel? Even if you're intimately aware of the anxiety that police can trigger, seeing someone at the top of her field feeling the exact same thing highlights how prevalent the issue is. It's vitally important that athletes continue to speak out for exactly this reason. She closes her post with words from Martin Luther King Jr. Read it below.