Venus Williams is shining a spotlight on wage inequality by fundraising for Girls Inc. through her own brand, EleVen.
Over the course of her incredible career, Williams has dedicated herself to advocating for equal pay in her sport and beyond. “I remember when we got equal prize money. It finally happened,” she recently told, reflecting on her historic 2007 Wimbledon win in which she played an integral part in leveraging the rights of female competitors behind the scenes. “It was hard because I was still ready to fight. We’d been fighting so long, but it was time to put the picket sign away.
Venus Williams: I hadn't planned to win Wimbledon...you always want to, but you don't go in saying, gosh I want to lose this year. It was very interesting to say the least that the year that we finally got equal pay, I also won. And it was great to haveand the audience too, who was the catalyst for everything women's tennis. So it was a really special moment. I'd love to go back to that.I think the moment definitely started before.
Last year the Privilege Tax initiative raised $20,000 for girls in the greater LA area. How has that money changed those girls' lives? What does it mean for you to do this work so close to home, both geographically and as an issue you’ve experienced firsthand? Definitely. A lot of times we as women find ourselves voiceless because of that fear of retaliation, or because conceptions that we're not worthy or we're not good enough, especially as Black women. Why do you urge women to live unapologetically and without fear?