“I can be like them mommy, go brown girls!”
The inspiration for this article derived from the amount of motivation that my eight-year-old sister outwardly exhibited just by the amount of excitement coursing through those nine words. Then my mom's smile after she said that.
It was such a moment, one where it didn’t have to do with the concept of a race, history, or anything like that. Mom was happy to see my sister so happy about something, anything, and believe that is was attainable.
She was four when Gabby Douglas won gold in 2012 making history. Though just watching the gymnastics, and through the years following Douglas’ story became more and more involved with the sport. Begging for classes, learning tumbling combinations, and turning the living into a permanent spot for floor routines.
Douglas gave a name to the face of a goal. For many young girls.
Four years later Simone gave a face to a dream. Winning five metals, four gold, and showing the world that being an absolutes beast in essentially every event isn’t impossible.
Of course, yes, the big elephant in the room of the Olympics was the race factor. Douglas provided inspiration for little black boys and girls to do what they believe they can, no matter what.
They followed her story, and cheered her on… maybe were even a little upset about her appearance this year, but really, who cares. She is the known face of triumph, and she is loved.
But Biles did something so much bigger. She took race out of the picture. It wasn’t about her being the black girl, but the force of nature. The one that we all root for because of how outstanding a gymnast she is. We followed her story, but received a different message. It’s all about the emphasis of the story, and then how we interpret it.
Where am I going with this? Cleary my sister identified that she wanted the brown girls to go and win. So what does all this blabber about Biles changing the pace have to do with anything?
Bear with me for a second. Ok, so… In her mind, she saw Biles, Biles is brown. The brown Biles is winning, along with her teammates. Brown = winning. Winning = the entire US team. She refers to the whole team as brown. Because they are all a part of the brown girl she said.
Watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, there were so many varieties of skin tones per country that all referred to them selves as the same it was amazing.
The Olympic is an opportunity for the world to come together and compete for their respective countries, but in the end we win much more than silver and gold. We gain perspective.
We allow a gymnast who will go down in history to be titled as such, rather than, “the first black gymnast to do _____”
Blies was a gymnast who won gold, Douglas and Rasmin are returning gymnasts who won gold, Hernandez is a first time gymnast who won sliver and gold, and Kocian just the same.
In my sisters mind the whole team resonate with the big successor Biles. I’m sure if the team had no brown, but the winner wore a blue leotard she would call the whole team blue.
Hopefully I explained this correctly because I mean to offend no one, merely acknowledge a societal change pushed forward by our youth. This one thought by an eight-year-old showed the potential to see everyone in a similar light and it was beautiful to watch
This Olympic team may have made history, but not for the amount of medals girls of all different backgrounds obtained for our country, but for how conscious their presence have made the media, and in doing so, the amount impact that has had on it’s viewers.
So go gymnasts, you’ve all struck gold.
