Welcome back, Serena!
Commentary by Chitown Kev
I missed the GOAT!
And earlier today, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion (14 womens Grand Slam doubles championships) Serena Williams was BACK playing competitive tennis for the first time in four years.
Teamed with Canada’s Victoria Mboko (Mboko is always a delight to watch!), the pair won a first-round doubles match against American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2 at the HSBC championships at the Queen’s Club in London.
Look at the left-hand corner for that speed of one of Serena’s serves.
Serena is scheduled to play doubles next week at the Berlin Open and reportedly would like to play in that tournament with Coco Gauff.
Maybe it’s too big of a wish of mine for Serena to play doubles or even singles at a certain tournament near London at the end of this month.
I can wish, though.
She’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!
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News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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We are not asking for a seat at anyone’s table anymore. We are building the table, setting it, and saving room for the next generation. The Root: Where the Truth Lives for Black America When the Mainstream Media Stays Silent
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There is a moment when you stop knocking on a door and decide to build your own. Black media is living in that moment right now, and it is the most hopeful thing I have seen in years.
Here is how I learned it firsthand. We made a film, “Love, Joy & Power,” directed by Daresha Kyi, telling the story of what we built at Black Voters Matter during the 2020 election cycle. It is a love letter and an organizing tool, a blueprint for defending our democracy. And the festival circuit shut the door. Programmers loved it and still refused to program it, afraid to cross this administration. Kyi’s last two features played more than 100 festivals each. This one got into three.
So we took it home, to the platforms we own.
On June 1st, Joy Reid gave the film her entire platform. In the slot where she normally delivers the news, she handed the screen to our story, hosted a live Q&A, and invited her people in. Nearly 100,000 viewers watched in the first 48 hours, and the number keeps climbing. Roland Martin simulcast it on the Black Star Network and brought thousands more.
What moved me was not just the size of the audience but the shape of it. The drop-off was almost nothing. People stayed to the end because they were not watching alone. The thread was full of jokes, reactions, real-time debate. It felt like the best of Black Twitter, the days when we watched together and the comments were half the experience. A theater cannot do that. This gave us each other.
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President Donald Trump’s recent outburst in an interview with Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” reflects a larger pattern. The Grio: Kristen Welker is only the latest Black journalist to be disrespected by President Trump
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Over the weekend, President Donald Trump appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Walker. However, the conversation went astray when Walker inquired about the president’s persistent claims about voter fraud. When asked, Trump claimed that there is “more evidence” of voter fraud than ever, before calling into question Welker’s credibility and claiming that the veteran journalist is “either crooked or stupid.”
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. All I have to do is look. They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked. You’re a one-sided crooked network,” Trump told Welker before walking off. “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Beyond President Trump’s abrupt exit, the moment spotlights a familiar pattern. Through the years, Trump has been very vocal about his thoughts on the press, and Black journalists, particularly Black women journalists, have faced a number of personal attacks, insults, or dismissive responses while questioning Trump on policy, politics, and accountability.
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Omar Artan was set to become the first Somalian to officiate a World Cup match. He was denied entry to the United States on Monday at Miami International Airport. The New Republic: Top African Referee Barred From Entering the U.S. for World Cup
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The African continent’s top referee has been banned from entering the United States ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Omar Artan was set to make history as the first Somalian to officiate the World Cup before he was allegedly denied entry at Miami International Airport despite having a travel visa. The reason for his denial was not made immediately clear, although Somalia is one of the countries on President Trump’s travel ban, and has been a frequent target of his racist attacks since he returned to office.
“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports adviser and former national team captain, Ciise Aden Abshir said in a statement to Agence France-Presse. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.”
Artan is one of many players, officials, coaches, and fans who will run into issues simply getting into the World Cup with America’s aggressive anti-immigration policies—which risk overshadowing the event entirely. Iranian team staff allege they had visas denied, Cameroonian-born Swiss midfielder Breel Embolo was denied entry, and Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained and question in Chicago O’Hare airport for seven hours.
Both FIFA and the Trump administration have had a year and a half to prepare for the tournament. It was predictable the entire time that visas for players, staff, and referees would be an issue. And yet, with the tournament three days away, it is engulfed in avoidable chaos.
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