1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: M h. Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, 2 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: the small decisions we can make to become the best 4 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr joy hard 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: and Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more 6 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: information or to find a therapist in your area, visit 7 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: our website at Therapy for Black Girls dot com. While 8 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: it is not meant to be a substitute for a 10 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: relationship with a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks 11 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: so much for joining me for session to twenty of 12 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into 13 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: the episode after a word from our sponsors. Earlier. This 14 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: week marked the ending of the Tokyo Olympics, and there 15 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: was no shortage of stories about black women athletes, both 16 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: leading up to and during the games. To help us 17 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: dig a little deeper into some of the ways that 18 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: gender and race intersected during the Olympics and through sports history. Today, 19 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: I'm joined by Dr Lesia Carter. Dr Carter identifies as 20 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: a feminist sports psychology practitioner, and her work addresses historical 21 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:45,839 Speaker 1: and contemporary representations of black women's strength, culturally sensitive health, 22 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: and sports psychology approach for people of color, and gendered 23 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: racism in sport. Dr Carter is an Associate Professor of 24 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: Exercise Psychology at the Intersection of Racial and Gender Equity 25 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: at Simple University, and in two thousand and nineteen, she 26 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: published Feminist Applied Sports Psychology from Theory to Practice and 27 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: edited text addressing intersectional feminist, womanist and Black feminist practice 28 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: in sports psychology. Dr Carter and I chatted about the 29 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: ways that gendered racism shows up in sports, how the 30 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:22,119 Speaker 1: Strong Black Women trope impacts athletes, how athletes are using 31 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: platforms like social media to tell more of their story, 32 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: and how athletes like Simone Biles in Naomi, Osaka are 33 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: ushering in a change about how athletes take care of themselves. 34 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: If there's something that resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, 35 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: please be sure to share it with us on social 36 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: media using the hashtag TBG in session. Here's our conversation. 37 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: I'm just so excited to have this opportunity to talk 38 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: with you because I feel like in like an academics 39 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,359 Speaker 1: and a psychologist life. There are a few times when 40 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: like the work that you do kind of comes to 41 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: life right in such a big, big way and like 42 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: on such a global scale. So I know that you 43 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: have been incredibly busy in the past couple of weeks 44 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: and would love for you to just start by like sharing, 45 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: you know, your thoughts about all of the things that 46 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: have unfolded as it relates to black women, specifically in 47 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: the Olympics. Gosh, yeah, I mean, this is one of 48 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: those moments right where you're like ten years of your 49 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: research and you're like, I've been telling y'all, try to 50 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: tell y'all, try to told y'all, a nobody there listening. 51 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: Now you're listening. Now you're listening. Yes, Yes, that's the feeling. 52 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: That's honestly the feeling where you're like, it's definitely a 53 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: full SoCal moment, not just for myself, but for other 54 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: researchers and practitioners whose work is deeply at this intersection 55 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: of the ways in which these kind of racist and 56 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: sexist stereotypes control play out in performance based domains and 57 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: seeing the way it's kind of lived, it's just kind 58 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: of been demonstrated. It's like, this is what we've been 59 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: seeing all along, and this is how it impacts wellness. 60 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: This is how it impacts black women's wallness. It's right here, 61 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 1: right in front of us for us to see. The 62 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,919 Speaker 1: way black women athletes have to navigate both racist and 63 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: sexist oppressive systems and sport at the Olympic level, I 64 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: think has been very very interesting because that is really 65 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: the world stadium, the largest platform and sport, and so 66 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: you know, looking at the Simon Biles, Naomir Soka even 67 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: alt to feel it and the ways in which they've 68 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: had to navigate sports throughout their entire career, but particularly 69 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: this year, I think it is quite interesting because not 70 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: just with COVID, but it's also the sum of a 71 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 1: year and a half of racial reckoning that all black 72 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: women have absorbed, but particularly black women athletes, and so 73 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: the Olympics being a space in which they've kind of 74 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: had to navigate this past year and then perform being 75 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 1: a representative of the black community and also being a 76 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: representative of black women who we still haven't gotten justice 77 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: for Brianna Taylor, and so it's just quite interesting the 78 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: interesting time in sports. Mm hmmm. So I want to 79 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: step back for a little bit just to kind of 80 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: give our community understanding of like what sports psychologists generally 81 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: do and then specifically, you know, with the combination of 82 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: you being a sports psychologist but also your specific research focus, 83 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: would that work looks like for you? Yeah, for sure. 84 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: So sports psychology is a very diverse field. It includes 85 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: researchers and practitioners, both individuals who might be trained clinically 86 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: within the mental health field and work with as to 87 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: along the spectrum of mental health and mental illness as 88 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: an intersect within sport and athleticism, as well as researchers 89 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: and non clinically trained individuals who work more around the 90 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: domain of support and performance. So what are the conditions 91 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: that help excite and stimulate elite athletic performance in exercises? 92 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: And then you have individuals who are also and this 93 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: is a little bit more kind of where I fit 94 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: in I should in kind of multiple places, but are 95 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: also interested around this exercise and physical health and well being. 96 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: What are the ways in which exercise kind of helps 97 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: support is overall health and well being, And how are 98 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: we as a support and exercise community kind of bringing 99 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: exercise and sport to everybody. You don't need for them 100 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: to engage in for it for all, and so you 101 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: have a kind of a multitude and that diversity of folks. 102 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: For in performance psychology, well, my research really looks at 103 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: gendered racism and for exercise and health. It means I'm 104 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: most interested in the ways in which sports and exercise 105 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: both helps and hinders physical activity and for engagement among 106 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: girls and women of color, particularly Black women. And when 107 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: we look historically and contemporarily, what are the things, what 108 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: are the conditions that have been most helpful for support engagement, 109 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: What are the things that over time might cause black 110 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: women and girls to leave support and physical activity, and 111 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: how do we kind of change those trends. And of 112 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: course it's a multitude of factors. It's no one particular factor. 113 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: It's a multitude of things. My research and my work 114 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: also looks at what are ways in which we can 115 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: train the next generation of sport and exercise psychology practitioners 116 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: to be much more quaturally responsive to the needs of 117 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: women of color, but particularly Black women and girls when 118 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: it comes to sport and performance and physical activity. And 119 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: then I'm also just generally interested in just motivation. You know, 120 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: what are the things that are involved in increasing motivation 121 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: and engagement in sports activity amongst diverse populations, again, particularly 122 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: women of color and black women. M hmmm. Yeah, So 123 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: I think, you know, you were the perfect person to 124 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: talk to about this because of your research, right, so 125 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: you looking at gender and sexism as it relates to sports, 126 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: and I think we saw a lot of examples of that, 127 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: you know, with just the Olympics this year. So we 128 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: had Shackery Richardson's suspension, and then there was the whole 129 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: band on like the Afro swimming cabs and Brianna McNeil 130 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: missing her drug tests after recovering from an abortion, and 131 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: so it seems like the Olympics committee sets these supposedly 132 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: neutral kinds of like rules, but then we do see 133 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: it feels like at least black women kind of being 134 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: unduly penalized by some of this. Can you talk about 135 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,559 Speaker 1: like how those rules that are supposed to be neutral 136 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: really do kind of harm black women specifically? Oh yeah, 137 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: you know, I mean the first thing here that comes 138 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: up for me is that these rules are neutral for 139 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: white men, um, but they're not neutral for black women 140 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: and for women of color, and that speaks to the 141 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: lack of diversity in governing bodies that those who are 142 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: the decision makers and those who are the gatekeepers when 143 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: it comes to these governing bodies and sports, in large parts, 144 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: those that sit on the boards are men and white people. 145 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,959 Speaker 1: There's very little representation of women of color and then 146 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: particularly black women. So when they're creating these policies and 147 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: these regulations, it does seem neutral for people whom it 148 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: just wouldn't affect and which is an issue. But then 149 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: when we think about the issue with the swim cap, Yeah, 150 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: I'm sure it's quite neutral for white men because they 151 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: don't have to think about not all hairstyle, but it's 152 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: actually quite political for um, black women who have natural 153 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: hair who swim and needs something that you know, sitting 154 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,320 Speaker 1: and also can cut through the water for them when 155 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,719 Speaker 1: they're swimming that high rates of speed in the water. Yeah, 156 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: and I think even based on your earlier comment about 157 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: studying some of the reasons why women leave sports right 158 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: and thinking about like how many like myself personally, I 159 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: do not know how to swim. I don't think it's 160 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: like all the way related to hair. I also like 161 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: just grew up in the country where there weren't like 162 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: lots of access to like where would you swim? But 163 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: I have heard that as a huge reason why, like 164 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: a lot of black women have not swim, because you know, 165 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: if you just get your hair done, like you're not 166 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: trying to get in the pool, right, And so these 167 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: kinds of considerations around, like caps that would protect hair 168 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 1: and those kinds of things are something that other people 169 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: would not necessarily consider. Yeah, no, absolutely, Like the economics 170 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: of swimming from a black woman's perspective is a very 171 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: real thing that people really do have to attach to. 172 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: I'm a fish and water and I don't swim because, 173 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: like you you know, I have to allow my blowouts 174 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: to last, you know, and I prefer you know, sometimes 175 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: I like to wear my hair natural. Sometimes I like 176 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: it to be blown out. But that's my own personal preference, 177 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: and I don't want what are to be invariable to 178 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: something that I've decided for my hair to be, you know, 179 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: today or tomorrow. But the other thing here is let's 180 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: talk about kind of environmental racism for a second and 181 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: the ways in which that impact sport participation. I did 182 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: a study that looked at the strong black woman archetypes 183 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: and its relationship to physical activity amongst women, and I 184 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: interviewed women in a rural area of Michigan, and one 185 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: thing that they said was on top of being able 186 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 1: to having to juggle a lot of different responsibilities in 187 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: that plane of role and then being able to engage 188 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 1: in physical activity, they said, we don't have any sidewalks, 189 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 1: So even if they wanted to start a walking group 190 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: or just to walk, there actually isn't anywhere for them 191 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: to walk. So they would have to walk in the 192 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: street if they wanted to use walking as their fearm 193 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: of physical activity. And so that was a very real 194 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,559 Speaker 1: issue that they themselves cannot fix. And oftentimes when we're 195 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: thinking about sedentary behavior, we often put the responsibility on 196 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: the individual. In this particular society, we say, they're the 197 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 1: ones that not aren't are engaging in physical activity because 198 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 1: they don't want to be active, but we failed to 199 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: look at the build environment around them, parturelarly in rural 200 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 1: and urban areas that have been historically ignored and marginalized. 201 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: So this area is predominantly black and there's just no sidewalks, 202 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 1: so they say, hey, how am I going to walk? 203 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: The other thing was that there was a gym that 204 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: had subsidized membership. However, there was one bust that they 205 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: could take to get to that gym, and it only 206 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 1: ran in the morning and in the evening. So when 207 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: you think about their schedule and things like that, it 208 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 1: just wasn't possible to be able to go to this 209 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: gym and to maybe use the equipment and things like that. 210 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: All these things contribute to set interior behavior of physical activities. 211 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: But when we take a step back, it's racism. It's 212 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:16,079 Speaker 1: just environmental racism, structural racism. When we know that there's 213 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: greater availability and much more highly resourced areas where sidewalks 214 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,679 Speaker 1: and transportations are not an issue for people who are 215 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: not black and brown to engage in shysical activity. Mm hmmm. 216 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: And can you say more Dr Carter about like how 217 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: the strong black woman archetype kind of impacted this behavior. 218 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: What did you learn from that study? Oh? Yeah, a 219 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: lot um. You know what I learned from that particular study, 220 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: And what I did in that study was I interviewed 221 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: individuals in that rural area of Michigan, But then I 222 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: interviewed about forty women all throughout New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Moregnhatans, 223 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: all black women. And what I just that there's a 224 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 1: multitude of variables that are contemporarily are built into this 225 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 1: archetype of the strong black woman. Of course, we know 226 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: a woman that's resilient, that can make a way out 227 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: of no way. It's part of the strong Black woman. 228 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:16,839 Speaker 1: But that these women were also holding onto a lot 229 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: of other things that were challenges for them to be 230 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: able to engage in sport and syscal activity. One primary 231 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: one was trauma. That many of the women experienced a 232 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: variety of different forms of trauma, whether it was intimate 233 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: partner violence, community based violence, loss of a loved one, 234 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: also migrating from one country to the US and still 235 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: working through that trauma and the processing that trauma was 236 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: a barrier for them to even think about engagement in 237 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: physical activity. Many of them said it was a world away, 238 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 1: like why would I be thinking about engaging in regular 239 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: physical activity or sport when I'm still working through the 240 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,720 Speaker 1: loss of my son who was murdered through to community 241 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: based violence, or I'm still grieving you know, the loss 242 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: of this person or whatever it might be. And so 243 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: when we're thinking about what how the strong black woman, 244 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: or when we're thinking about working with black women and 245 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: what might be a potential barrier or challenge for them 246 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: to engage in regular physical activity. Understanding what black women 247 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: might be holding and the ways in which they might 248 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: be socialized into the strong black woman is extremely important. 249 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: Two other things that came out of that study, amongst many, 250 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 1: was that the strong black woman ideal was something that 251 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: was passed down generationally, not just from mother to daughter, 252 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: but from father to daughter, from mother to son, and 253 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: so it's very deeply ingrained into the psyche of the 254 00:15:55,880 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: black community, and a idea that the plea is glorified 255 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: amongst many different actors within the black community, making it 256 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: quite hard to disrupt. So not only is it something 257 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: that's reinforced by the larger white supremacist society, but it's 258 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: something that's also glorified internally within our own community, making 259 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: it hard to counteract. There is this theme around anxiety 260 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: and mental health related to being a strong Black woman, 261 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: and that I think that's also due to will Stream 262 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: taking on so many different responsibilities and that's delaid self 263 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,280 Speaker 1: care and how that impacts if your general well being 264 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: in mental health. M More from my conversation with Dr 265 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: Carter after the break. So Dr Carter, I feel like 266 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: there are so many places I want to go based 267 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: on what you just shared. So something that you know 268 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: I have been thinking about, but you just reminding me of, 269 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: is this whole idea around trauma and how we also 270 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: saw that play out in the Olympics. Right. So we 271 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:10,479 Speaker 1: found out later that Shakary Richardson's mother had passed, and 272 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: you know, it sounds like a part of how she 273 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 1: was coping with that grief was through marijuana. And then 274 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: we also later found out that Simone Biles had an 275 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: aunt that passed while she was in Tokyo and that 276 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: she was also carrying this experience of being a victim 277 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: of sexual assault. Right. And so you know, I wonder 278 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: if you can talk a little bit about you know, 279 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: we know, just on a regular basis, like how we 280 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:36,680 Speaker 1: just try to go to work from day to day 281 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: dealing with a traumatic experience. But then you're, like you said, 282 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: on this world stage, the world stadium, expected to perform 283 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: with these traumatic experience is kind of under your built. 284 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: So where do I start here? Because part of the 285 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:55,880 Speaker 1: strong black woman this image is that it's just it's 286 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: a very controlling image that is used to tell black 287 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: women how they're supposed to behave right that if you're 288 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 1: not behaving like a strong black woman, then you are 289 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 1: not engaging in the appropriate form of Black womanhood. And 290 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: the reason why I'm starting my response that way is 291 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: because I think it shed some light into one of 292 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: the criticism that someone Biles received, as well as some 293 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: beside eyeing that Shakari Richardson received. Right, So it's the 294 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 1: strong black woman. The ways in which it used to 295 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 1: control Black femininity and Black womanhood is that you are 296 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: supposed to absorbed trauma, absorbed the hardships of life and 297 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 1: where in some form of kind of mass grace and 298 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:48,719 Speaker 1: form of grace, and that is a badge of glory, 299 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 1: a badge of honor. Then the moment that you say 300 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: I don't want this bad then that means that you're 301 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 1: not being a woman, You're not being a graceful Black woman. 302 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: Then that's the problem. So when it comes to some 303 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: Moone Biles and Hicari Richardson, you see someone Bile saying, look, 304 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 1: I'm an athlete, I'm a performer. One of the things 305 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: I like about the Moone Biles is that she's very 306 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:22,199 Speaker 1: clear that her profession is an athlete. And there's so 307 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: many other aspects to her that are outside of her 308 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: as an athlete in this privileged profession. And so in 309 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: understanding that, she says, look, my my role as an 310 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: athlete is not to assume this idea of being a 311 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: strong black woman and to persevere through the pain that 312 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: I'm holding right now, as well as this narrative that 313 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: I'm supposed to be the mammy of all of the 314 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: survivors and all the victims of USA Gymnastics. That is 315 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 1: not my role here, and I am actually feeling in 316 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: this moment the kind of sum of all of that 317 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: right now in the Olympics, and it's time for me 318 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 1: to take a step back. That is her being a 319 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: human being and just living in her humanity. But unfortunately, 320 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:19,439 Speaker 1: what the strong black woman trope and ideal does is 321 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: it it indignifies Black women and it doesn't allow them 322 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:26,639 Speaker 1: to live in their humanity. So when Simone Bile does this, 323 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: people who see her through that lens are confused. M 324 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:36,119 Speaker 1: They I think a few things happen. I think they say, wait, 325 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: you're bionic, You're not only you're vulnerable, you feel things. Wait, 326 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: you experienced trauma. So that first thing happens, and I 327 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: think a second thing happens is a disbelief that wait, 328 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: not only do you experience a form of trauma or 329 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: not only are you experiencing the twisties or something like that, 330 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:05,640 Speaker 1: but are you really can you really just not push 331 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 1: through and do this because you're a biomic and as 332 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: a superwoman, you're also a fixer. You're the one that 333 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: just figures it out, even in the face of so 334 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: much hardship and challenge. You as a black woman, are 335 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: designed to figure it out, and you're telling us you can't. 336 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,159 Speaker 1: I don't believe you. And the shame that hasn't happened 337 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: with Hikari Richardson. You mean that the way that you 338 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 1: coped with this news in this situation was with marijuana. 339 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: You're a black woman. You're just supposed to be able 340 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 1: to do things without any additional support. You can just 341 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: figure it out. And so being held so rigidly in 342 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: that controlling image when women black women asked outside of it, 343 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 1: what happens when people can use that lens is that 344 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 1: they marginalize them. And we see a Richardson marginalized, and 345 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: we see some more Biles criticized and originalized. Mm hmmm, yeah, 346 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: And can you talk a little bit more about this 347 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: idea that you mentioned earlier. A moan Biles is like 348 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: we were all rooting for them, right. Can you talk 349 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: about like some of that added pressure of feeling like 350 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: they have to represent not only the US, which is 351 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: not typically been kind to them, right, but also like, Okay, 352 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: I gotta represent the black community on my back. Gosh. 353 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: I mean, I think that's the story of black athletes 354 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: since the since the creation of support and the integration 355 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:39,400 Speaker 1: of sport in the US, the representations that they are 356 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: the representative of all black people. And I think for 357 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: black women athletes, it is not only I am just 358 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 1: choosing happening, not only my representing the black community and 359 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: black women, but I also have to I also have 360 00:22:54,840 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: to navigate this form of classies, racist and sexist respectability, 361 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:08,360 Speaker 1: the idea of a graceful black woman within a system 362 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: that is reinforcing this, this subtle but aggressive form of 363 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: ownership of the athletes. Navigating all of this and remaining 364 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:24,000 Speaker 1: a political sport is wonderful at maintaining a space of neutrality. 365 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,880 Speaker 1: It's all a sport, like, there's no identity here, There's 366 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: no identity. Politics. Sport is where it's just you and 367 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 1: competition and nowhere else. And so black women have to 368 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: navigate the pressure, the burden of representing black community and 369 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 1: being tokenized as a black woman athlete, yet not being 370 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: allowed to speak on the very things are being tokenized for. 371 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: It's a hard space to be it a hard place 372 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: to be in. And like kudos for like Moan Bios, 373 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: the way in which she navigates it, Like, I don't 374 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: even know how she does it. You know, I think 375 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: we've seen Allison Felix when she broke Chriss silence with 376 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,920 Speaker 1: Nike around the maternity protections. I mean, I think she said, 377 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 1: you know, I had enough of trying to navigate this 378 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: very oppressive dance and the sport in this industry that 379 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,199 Speaker 1: is not and never going to love me back. And 380 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: I think that it really became evident for her when 381 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: she was pregnant and realized that, hey, I'm not getting 382 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: any protections for me as a pregnant woman, knowing that 383 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,400 Speaker 1: the stakes are much higher as a black woman that's pregnant, 384 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: and Nike, the most powerful work company, can't even find 385 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,959 Speaker 1: ways to protect me. So I think in that realization 386 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: for Allison, it is probably where you see where she 387 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: said you know, and I'm not even going to do 388 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 1: this anymore. I'm done. Mm hmmm. Something that it feels 389 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,640 Speaker 1: like has been really instrumental, at least in my antage point, 390 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:05,479 Speaker 1: is athletes like Someone Biles and Naomia Soka really using 391 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: social media and other forms of like new medias that 392 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: kind of control the narrative around what their story is. 393 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: So have you seen that, Like, do you feel like 394 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: social media and other kind of spaces of new media 395 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: have really allowed them to humanize themselves more? Yeah, And 396 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: I agree with you. I mean, I think that social media, Twitter, Instagram, 397 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: you know, TikTok. I think these have been wonderful mechanisms 398 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: for athletes to be able to disrupt narratives that really 399 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: are not authentic to who the athlete is. And I 400 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: think the story around Nyoman Socca is probably the best 401 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: example when she says, hey, I'm not going to sit 402 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: with the media, and initially the narrative being scripted is 403 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:58,360 Speaker 1: that she is being a defiant young biracial woman's right, 404 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: and she then uses social media to say, hey, that's 405 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: not the case. You know, the media is a trigger 406 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: for me and this is why. And I I respect 407 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,159 Speaker 1: the rules and all that but this is why. So 408 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: she's using social media to reshape and disrupt a narrative 409 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:20,679 Speaker 1: that was being created not only by sport media, but 410 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: unfortunately by the World Tennis organization that was also trying 411 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: to create a narrative that she was not being a 412 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: cooperative athlete within the organization. I think another thing that 413 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: social media does is that it helps unify athletes around 414 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: a number of different political and advocacy oriented topics. I mean, 415 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 1: one thing about sports against sports likes to be this 416 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: a political space. In this neutral space, so oppression can 417 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: really survive in silence. And I think that when it 418 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 1: comes to athletes and social media, they can connect with 419 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: each person's story. They can say, while you're going through 420 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: this too, I didn't know because I can't share my 421 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,920 Speaker 1: contract with you, I can't share what this person said 422 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: to me. Right, But now they can use social media 423 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: and say, yeah, this happened to me, it happened to you, 424 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: and now let's begin to create a movement for change. 425 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 1: I think the perfect example is around the maternity protections. 426 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: We saw that with Alfa Felix and Alessia mccano. Ye 427 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,479 Speaker 1: m hmmmm mmmm. You know, as you touched on like 428 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: the world Tennis organizations, you know, kind of the angle 429 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: they were trying to spend there with Naomi Asaka too. 430 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: But it also feels like the media, just in general, 431 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 1: at least more traditional news outlets, it also feels like 432 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 1: play a real role in shaping these narratives and really 433 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: kind of playing into this idea of the strong black woman. 434 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: Absolutely agree, Yeah, I mean the media is really good 435 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 1: at crafting a number of different racist, sexists troops and 436 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,560 Speaker 1: stereotypes of black women. I mean we saw them. I 437 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: think that was when Serena chow lyned a call, they 438 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: were very quick to typecast her, and she was actually 439 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: charactered as an angry black woman on the tennis court, right, 440 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: because she was acting outside of again, what is supposed 441 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: to be what, particularly in tennis, is supposed to be 442 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: typecast as a traditional form of femininity and so and 443 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: then for black women's she's just supposed to just take it, 444 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:26,919 Speaker 1: right and so, because she said no, this is not 445 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:30,400 Speaker 1: a good call, Okay, now we're going to marginalize her 446 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 1: and typecast her as an angry at attitude e black woman. 447 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 1: And so the media does an unfortunate yet good job 448 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: of quickly typecasting black woman, Black women as some form 449 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:49,480 Speaker 1: of oppositional, angry, superhuman or even at times jezebelling black 450 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: women m m m yeah, stereotypes. Yeah, we're we're some 451 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: form of controlled image that they like to play us into, 452 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: which really indignified and does a job of reducing our 453 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 1: humanity if not removing it. Mm hmmm. More from my 454 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 1: conversation with Dr Carter after the break. So, Dr Carter, 455 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: you know, I haven't fully formed my thoughts on this, 456 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,280 Speaker 1: but there's something swirling around in my mind around like 457 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: resisting these superhuman attributes and like not playing into the 458 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: strong black woman's stereotype, but also balancing that with like 459 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: how incredible like some black women athletes are. Right, So 460 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: I think we have seen this both with someone Biles 461 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: and historically if we go back to Soriya Bonelli. So 462 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,240 Speaker 1: they both I think have been penalized for like coming 463 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 1: up with these new moves that the Olympics and people 464 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: don't want them to do, and so they don't grade 465 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: them the same, and they're like, Okay, you're gonna get 466 00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: in trouble if you do that. So can you help 467 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 1: me think through how do you balance? You know, because 468 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: there feels like something racist, they're also right racist and gendered, 469 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: and that these two women have been able to kind 470 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: of do things that other people haven't been able to 471 00:30:11,840 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: do but now are penalized for that. I think the 472 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 1: first thing is that just thinking about the strong black 473 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 1: woman in this idea of like positioning black women as 474 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:26,920 Speaker 1: superhuman and then connecting it to sport, there's like this 475 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 1: line there where when we look at women like Simone 476 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: Biles where she's engaging in feet that the average person cannot, 477 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,400 Speaker 1: so you're kind of like, what she is like strong, 478 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: she's doing things that like she's the only woman in 479 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 1: the world that can do it. Probably very few men 480 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: can do it as well. And so there's that. But 481 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: there's this piece in the books Forty Million Dollar Plays 482 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: where the author talks about when we think about just 483 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: racism and sports, there's a dissonance that exists within this 484 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: racist sports society that there is an admiration for the 485 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: feats that black athletes can do, and in this context, 486 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:16,000 Speaker 1: black women athletes. So there's this admiration like, wow, look 487 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: at what Simone Biles can do, look at what Serena 488 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: Williams can do, right, But then there's a resentment we 489 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: admire you, and we are extracting labor and entertainment from 490 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: you because you are driving an engine that it's profitable. Right. However, 491 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: we hate that it's you mm hmm. We hate that 492 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: it's a black woman, and so we don't know what 493 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 1: to do with that. And so I think that is 494 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: where we speed the underscoring of Simone Biles when she's 495 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: doing these terrific feats and other athletes as well, where 496 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,000 Speaker 1: they know, don't give her the score. I think for 497 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,600 Speaker 1: the vault that she did that is named after her, 498 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: I think they scored it like a six six and 499 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,719 Speaker 1: she's like, they underscored me. But that's on that, you know. 500 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: I think that's where they're at. It's this this dismance 501 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: of like, wow, this is done, an admiring it, but 502 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: a deep racist resentment that it's a black woman that's 503 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:22,280 Speaker 1: done it. Mm hmmm. Yeah. It kind of goes back 504 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 1: to our earlier conversation around these rules, right, because what 505 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: they say is like, oh, we don't want other people 506 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: trying this because they could really hurt themselves. But would 507 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 1: the rule be the same if like a non black 508 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 1: athlete had done it. Absolutely not. And I mean the 509 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: other thing here is that we have to also look 510 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: at this through the frame of like also just general femininity, right, 511 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: like what does the woman look like who's doing it? 512 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: And I think an example is Castor Semenya, the South 513 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 1: African runner who unfortunately her biology has been policed. And 514 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:57,040 Speaker 1: I think we see the same things happen when we 515 00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: look at other black women is with the same underscoring, 516 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: the same police scene of black women's Olympic seats, and 517 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:11,000 Speaker 1: just general performance occur they fit more Eurocentric feminine features, 518 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: which would allow, unfortunately, these governing bodies to kind of 519 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:24,960 Speaker 1: situate them more to kind of white adjacent athletes and standards. 520 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,720 Speaker 1: That's a speculation, but something that I wondered. Mm hmmm, Yeah, 521 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: And I do wonder too, at what point are we 522 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: going to get away from looking at people's like what 523 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 1: are they measuring? I don't even remember all the specifics, 524 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: but when they say it, okay, you have too many, 525 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: you know, like it's too masculine or something, right, Like, 526 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: at what point is that going to be outlawed really 527 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: as a criteria for being able to participate. Yeah, I 528 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:54,120 Speaker 1: don't know. Yeah, we had a long way to go. 529 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:56,479 Speaker 1: I think we really have a long way to go. 530 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: I think another issue here is too is that what 531 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: we think of the Moon bios and Serrina Williams and 532 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 1: Naomi of Soccer and Allison Felix, I think we also 533 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: have seen an athletes too are beginning to transcend a 534 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: system of ownership and sports and being able to attain 535 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:21,279 Speaker 1: an element of like free athletes. And so that is 536 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 1: a quite radical status to have. And I think it's 537 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: also something that scares, you know, individuals who are in 538 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:33,120 Speaker 1: these controlling governty bodies, particularly because they're black women. Mm 539 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: hmmmmm mmmm. It's also not lost on me that it 540 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: feels like a lot of these black women who have 541 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 1: done this and like who are kind of leading this movement, 542 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: are largely in individual sports, right Like, I feel like 543 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:47,520 Speaker 1: this is the kind of thing that you probably would 544 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:49,560 Speaker 1: not see. I mean, we don't have female football leagues, 545 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: but like you couldn't see in the NFL or the NBA, 546 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 1: And we saw this even with the w n b 547 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,279 Speaker 1: A right like that they were really on the front 548 00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 1: lines of like a lot of the social justice movements 549 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: we saw like in the past year. You mm hmm, 550 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:05,239 Speaker 1: absolutely I agree. When the w NBA players were the 551 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:07,919 Speaker 1: ones to really first speak out and engage in their 552 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:13,320 Speaker 1: different actions around advocacy. They received harsh signs, harsh harsh 553 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 1: signs because it's still within the institution of the n 554 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 1: b A that they have to navigate collectively. And so 555 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: I do agree with you that it's a far different 556 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,080 Speaker 1: from an individual athletes two say no or do the 557 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: things that they would prefer to do, versus to have 558 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:32,520 Speaker 1: to really navigate a different type of systems. Mm hmmm. 559 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 1: So you've already kind of alluded to this, Dr Carter, 560 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 1: but I'd love to just hear you expound a little 561 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 1: more about what you feel like this moment in sports, 562 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: with all the things that we've seen in the saying 563 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,680 Speaker 1: no and setting boundaries, what do you think this means 564 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,200 Speaker 1: for like black women's mental health? Yeah, you know, I 565 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 1: think the first is that I think in general, I 566 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:54,560 Speaker 1: think the world is waking up when it comes to 567 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: generally like racism and sexisholm in the world. But I 568 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,720 Speaker 1: think this for Kickler moment is like a like y'all, 569 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:07,360 Speaker 1: like y'all see this right, like you know, And so 570 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 1: I think that one just the aha moments that people 571 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 1: are having because just around the racist and sexist oppression 572 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:23,279 Speaker 1: that exists, and how it's demonstrated in the criticism that 573 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:28,040 Speaker 1: Naomi Soka and Simone Biles received, how people are waking 574 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:31,680 Speaker 1: up to that's just so crucial. The other thing here 575 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: is that it speaks to the pressures that athletes experience 576 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: in general, and that athletes needs space to be able 577 00:36:40,719 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 1: to institute and constitute boundaries. This idea that where is 578 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: healthy and I'm not I'm not saying that it's detrimental 579 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: to health, but that it's a workplace environment, and that 580 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: we need to begin to situate professional sport as a 581 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:03,520 Speaker 1: workplace environment and for elite athletes when they say, hey, 582 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:06,160 Speaker 1: I need a day off, you know, I need a 583 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,720 Speaker 1: six day, then it needs to be treated that way, 584 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:16,360 Speaker 1: not as someone being enslaved to a system that is 585 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:19,920 Speaker 1: just that like this. This is not an athlete being 586 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:22,600 Speaker 1: enslaved to a system. This is an employee and they're 587 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,359 Speaker 1: saying that they need a sick day. And so there 588 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: needs to be rules and policies that really begin to 589 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:34,839 Speaker 1: create a healthy workplace environment for our elite athletes that 590 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,799 Speaker 1: way they can care for themselves long term in a 591 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: variety of ways. The other thing is that we've got 592 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:46,200 Speaker 1: to be able to protect our elite athletes from fans 593 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: and from media. This idea that they have to engage 594 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:53,399 Speaker 1: with media, this idea that they have to perform even 595 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:57,319 Speaker 1: at their potential detriment to their own physical and psychological safety, 596 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 1: is deeply inappropriate. We wouldn't make the other person do that, 597 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 1: and so why would we have that for elite athletes 598 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:07,560 Speaker 1: to deeply, deeply, deeply troubling to me and I'm sure 599 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: everyone else. And so this is a crucial time just 600 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,800 Speaker 1: when it comes to the institution of professional elite sports, 601 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:16,840 Speaker 1: but then when we bring it down to college sports 602 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:19,280 Speaker 1: and high school sports. I think this is a great 603 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 1: and important time to be talking about psychological health and 604 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:28,440 Speaker 1: well being with youth athletes and high school athletes that hey, 605 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:31,800 Speaker 1: look at Simone Biles and Naomi of SOCCA and even 606 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 1: Michael felt like, we're the conversation about what mental health is, 607 00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:42,719 Speaker 1: what mental illnesses, talking to coaches about having a dynamic 608 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:48,440 Speaker 1: way of coaching that supports youth development holistically, particularly for 609 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:51,839 Speaker 1: young black girls. Now is the time to really lean 610 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:54,879 Speaker 1: into this, because what should be a place where kids 611 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:58,720 Speaker 1: are learning, you know, the adds and seeds of life, 612 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: you know, sports in life and if we can bring 613 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 1: that to our young black girls. The way they go 614 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: into healthy Black girls using someone Biles and the Naomi 615 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:10,279 Speaker 1: of soccer is that you know, hey, look she said no, 616 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,280 Speaker 1: she said her health first, and you can say that too. 617 00:39:13,719 --> 00:39:18,400 Speaker 1: I'm getting chills just even thinking about it. M hmmmm. So, 618 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,319 Speaker 1: Dr Carter, you already mentioned forty million dollars sleeves as 619 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,960 Speaker 1: a reference point for some of this conversation. Are there 620 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,880 Speaker 1: other books or other resources that you would want to 621 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,759 Speaker 1: offer to the community that they may enjoy kind of 622 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: based on what you've shared today. Yeah, you know, I 623 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: gotta shout out my book. It is a terrific edited 624 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:40,279 Speaker 1: volume seminist supplied sports psychologies from theory to practice. In 625 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 1: that book, we really run down There is a section 626 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: where we're just black feminist politics and for everything we 627 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:50,560 Speaker 1: just talked about in this podcast. Also we go into 628 00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:54,759 Speaker 1: Indigenous based and indigenous practices and sports, as well as 629 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 1: the experiences of trans athletes and trans women and sports. 630 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:01,800 Speaker 1: So you're interested in the diversity of spot but to 631 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,399 Speaker 1: a feminist woman is the black feminist lens. Please pick 632 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,600 Speaker 1: up the book. It's a great book, perfect and where 633 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 1: can we find you? Dr Carter, what is your website 634 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: as well as any social media handles you'd like to share. 635 00:40:13,239 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: You know, I was gonna say you can find me outside, 636 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 1: but now we can at You can find me at 637 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,839 Speaker 1: Dr Alijia on Instagram. You can also find me at 638 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:33,720 Speaker 1: my nonprofit which is Coalition under for Equity and also 639 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 1: at www dot Coalition Equity dot org. Perfect We'll be 640 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,319 Speaker 1: sure to include that in the show notes. Well, thank 641 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:42,120 Speaker 1: you so much for spending some time for us today, 642 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,880 Speaker 1: Dr Carter. I really appreciate it. No, it's my pleasure, 643 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,759 Speaker 1: and thank you for the great conversation and some of 644 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:56,560 Speaker 1: the last in between. I'm so glad Dr Carter was 645 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,399 Speaker 1: able to share her expertise with us today. To learn 646 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,239 Speaker 1: more about her and her work, visit the show notes 647 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 1: at Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash Session to twenty, 648 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:07,840 Speaker 1: and don't forget to text two of your girls and 649 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:10,560 Speaker 1: tell them to check out the episode as well. If 650 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:13,239 Speaker 1: you're looking for a therapist in your area, be sure 651 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:15,960 Speaker 1: to check out our therapist directory at Therapy for Black 652 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,880 Speaker 1: Girls dot com slash directory. And if you want to 653 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:22,040 Speaker 1: continue digging into this topic or just be in community 654 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:24,640 Speaker 1: with other sisters, come on over and join us in 655 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:27,800 Speaker 1: the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the Internet, 656 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: design just for black women. You can join us at 657 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:33,960 Speaker 1: Community not Therapy for Black Girls dot com. Thank you 658 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:36,279 Speaker 1: all so much for joining me again this week. I 659 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 1: look forward to continue in this conversation with you all 660 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:40,879 Speaker 1: real soon. Take good care.