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'Still I Rise' - Check out this powerful Serena Williams montage

The American tennis star won her seventh Wimbledon title this afternoon.

https://www.facebook.com/BBCSport/videos/1104653606288338/

THE TRIBUTES FLOWED in after Serena Williams secured a historic 22nd Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon today.

Following her victory, the BBC played a powerful montage of the American tennis star reciting Maya Angelou’s iconic ‘Still I Rise’ — a 1978 poem, which reviewer Ellen Lippmann has described as a “proud, even defiant statement of behalf of all Black people”.

These famous words are interspersed with images of Williams’ phenomenal, unprecedented accomplishments in the world of tennis.

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    Mute Donnacha Bhoicaire
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    Jul 9th 2016, 5:40 PM

    This is ridiculous. Sure she is receiving nothing but accolades and good will for years. Who is keeping her down that she had to rise ?

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    Mute John Tupper
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    Jul 9th 2016, 5:48 PM

    Agree. Over the top stuff here. One of the greats, but don’t get the reference to slavery in that dialogue

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    Mute Ken Seon
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    Jul 10th 2016, 7:31 AM

    Most people have no idea the nonsense Serena Williams and her sister Venus have ha to put up with.while playing the.game. That poem by Maya Angelo she recited to the Bbc was a symbolic reference to that. Did you not know for instance that one the compelling reasons for speeding up of the use of Hawk-Eye technology in the game was the incredibly bad calls Serena was being given, as in that famous match with Jennifer CapriatI at the U.S Open some years ago. The sisters have also had to sit through much unfair criticism in their long journey in over the the tennis landscape over the years.

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    Mute Pablo Blackwood
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    Jul 9th 2016, 6:35 PM

    John Tupper you need to understand the poem was written by Maya Angelou (research her as you obviously don’t know who she is, judging by your question about slavery reference?) Serena has publically said this is her favourite poem hence the recital.

    “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream & hope of the slave….I rise!”

    Lest you forget the lack of rights that slaves had in the US during slavery. The subsequent lack of civil rights (black Americans ) right up until the late 1960s, the fact that a black woman has become the greatest female player in the history of the sport (John McEnroe’s opinion.) A sport that has historically been lilly white (not just Wimbledon’s rule on clothing.) Is testimony to the resilience and ability to ‘rise’ in spite of all the injustices & obstacles faced!

    Serena has achieved something that literally less than 50 odd years ago wouldn’t of even been a dream, let alone a reality!

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    Mute GunsGerms
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    Jul 9th 2016, 6:51 PM

    Not exactly true. Yvonne Goolagong won 14 grand slams around the 70s. By the time Williams came along there was plenty of diversity.

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    Mute John Tupper
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    Jul 9th 2016, 6:54 PM

    Steady on Pablo.

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    Mute Pablo Blackwood
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    Jul 11th 2016, 11:35 PM

    Naming one person of colour from the 70s doesn’t exactly change the fact that tennis was and still is overwhelmingly white. Between Althea Gibson (winning Wimbledon in the 50s and Goolagong in the 70s, where was this diversity you speak off?

    There still isn’t a great amount of diversity now in 2016.

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    Mute Pablo Blackwood
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    Aug 7th 2016, 11:21 AM

    Naming one person of colour from the 70s doesn’t exactly change the fact that tennis was and still is overwhelmingly white.

    Between Althea Gibson (winning Wimbledon in the 50s and Goolagong in the 70s, where was this diversity you speak off?

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    Mute Showbiz Babyyy
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    Jul 9th 2016, 5:47 PM

    Fair play to her but I wouldn’t watch her if she was out my back garden

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    Mute Pablo Blackwood
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    Jul 9th 2016, 6:46 PM

    Donnacha….it’s not so much who has kept her down . It’s more about being deprived of equal opportunities whether as a young black woman entering the sport. Or in the context of Maya Angelou’s poem, the denial of rights and civil liberties that faced black people in the US!

    People laughed when Richard Williams a man with no tennis coaching qualifications embarked on a mission to ‘change the game’ !

    His daughters have gone onto become arguably the most iconic figures in the women game. Not to mention both holding the number one seed and winning a record breaking amount of slams.

    In spite of all the ills of society….black people in the US still rose to achieve success beyond their wildest dreams!

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    Mute Donnacha Bhoicaire
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    Jul 9th 2016, 9:13 PM

    It’s 2016 not 1916 Pablo.

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    Mute Brian Corcoran
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    Jul 10th 2016, 9:19 AM

    Donnacha – you think blacks are equal to whites in 2016 USA? You haven’t been watching the news lately, have you?

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    Mute Ken Seon
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    Jul 10th 2016, 6:56 AM

    It’s amazing that anyone should fail to appreciate, the prowess and absolute greatness and steely determination of Serena Williams in the game of Lawn Tennis. Shame, Shame, Shame on the haters.

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