Australian athletes under fire for wearing racist Serena and Venus Williams costumes and blackface makeup
Just a week after the Melbourne-based Herald Sun newspaper sparked outrage with a cartoon of Serena Williams that was slammed as racist, three Australian amateur athletes have been caught wearing blackface makeup to model themselves after the tennis star, her sister Venus, and an Australian rules football player of African descent.
Beau Grundy, pictured with two other players from the Tasmanian Penguins Football Club, shared the offensive photo on Facebook. His caption noted that the men were mimicking the Williams sisters and Sydney Swans star Aliir Aliir, who is of South Sudanese heritage.
The picture was removed from Grundy’s profile on Wednesday.
Social media users were quick to hammer the men for their racially insensitive costumes.
Really don’t know how this still happens. I’m also getting really sick of white people saying it’s not racist. You’ve never been racially vilified, therefore shut up! Stop telling indigenous people how to fee! #blackface @joewilliams_tew https://t.co/oOZ7c3N8qH
— Nicholas O'Riley (@orileynicholas) September 19, 2018
Oh look: a mere week after that racist cartoon of Serena Williams, another blackface scandal hits the Australian press bc white dudes decided to "dress up" like her. Meanwhile, three Aboriginal people died in custody in the same time period. What a nation of racist slow learners.
— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) September 19, 2018
Just when you thought we could relax because Australia at least hasn't had a blackface situation for a while…. along comes Tasmania to save the day.
— MGH (@MichelleGHunder) September 19, 2018
@PenguinTwoBlues do you have a comment about the players in your team wearing ‘black-face’..? Disgusting. They should be stood down immediately and permanently. Unless you support racists?
Let this team know what you think about the latest display of repulsive racism. #blackface
— Hayley (@speakcleary) September 19, 2018
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