Serena Williams has still not won a Grand Slam since becoming a mom, but she sure is enjoying every little moment of having her daughter Olympia in her life.
In an Instagram post, the 23-time Major champions shared the joy of being able to braid her daughter’s hair.
“Braiding started in Africa with the Himba people of Namibia,” she captioned the picture which features a smiling Olympia.
“We have been braiding our hair for centuries. In many African tribes braided hairstyles were a unique way to identify each tribe. Because of the time it would take people would often take the time to socialize. It began with the elders braiding their children, then the children would watch and learn from them.
The tradition of bonding was carried on for generations, and quickly made its way across the world. I am honored to share this bonding experience with my own daughter and add another generation of historic traditions.”
In May, Serena's husband, Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, revealed that he has joined several natural hair groups on Facebook in order to get better at styling their daughter's hair
It’s not the first time Serena has spoken up the importance of her teaching Olympia about the significance of being a black woman.
In 2018, she told Essence magazine about her desire to take her first child to Africa and learn about her roots.
“There are so many things I want to teach her about being a black woman, and I’m proud that I have that opportunity.
I was just talking with my husband, Alexis. We were talking about how we want to take her to Africa, and show her where she’s from and the strength that she gets from her ancestors. We want her to be able to build and thrive off that strength. And that’s only the beginning of what I want to teach her.”
Sources: Daily Mail, Essence
