“Behind each successful man, there is a woman pushing him forwards. Behind every successful woman, there’s a man holding her back.”
Anonymous truism
Recently, Sha’Carri Richardson, a young Black woman, perhaps the fastest runner in the world, was punished by the USA Track & Field Association (USATF).
It was discovered that, after a race, she had smoked some marijuana. The athlete declared that she used the herb in order to calm “a state of emotional panic” caused by her mother’s death.
As a consequence of that action (legal in 18 states of the United States, including Oregon, where “the crime” was committed), she will not be allowed to represent the U.S. in the upcoming Olympic Games in Japan. The stern characters who control the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and those who control the U.S. Athletic Association determined that the fault committed by the 21-years-old runner deserved that harsh punishment.
All over the world, that decision has created a great deal of controversy.
The case of the exuberant north-American athlete reminded me of a conversation that I had with my mother, 12 years ago. Then, she told me of the punishment that she received when she was preparing to represent Chile in the South American Track & Field Championship held in Lima, Perú, in 1939. 82 years ago.
1939 also is the year of perhaps the worst earthquake in the history of Chile. It happened in the south of that country, where my mother was vacationing. She was due to return to Santiago, the Chilean capital, on January 25, in order to join the track team practices. That earthquake happened a day before her departure. She could not travel for almost a week.
It was a terrible earthquake, with an epicenter on the city of Chillán. It measured 8.3 on the Richter Scale and caused 50,000 deaths and over 60,000 wounded. In the city of Concepción, close to where my mother was, 90 percent of all buildings collapsed.
In legal terms, that earthquake was “An act of God.” An Act of God is a natural catastrophe which no one can prevent…such as an earthquake, a tidal wave, a volcanic eruption, a hurricane or a tornado. An Act of God is generally considered an act attributable to nature without human interference. Because of that “Act of God,” my mother could not return on the due date. According to this, the transgression was clearly not her fault.
Nevertheless, when my mother returned to Santiago, the head coach (“A Nazi!” my mother said, her eyes shining, when she told me the story in 2009) and the other officials in charge of the Chilean team, all men, decided that she could not participate in the tournament. Although the event would happen about 3 months later.
Maybe it did not help the fact that she had been sincere and outspoken in some previous interviews with the press. There, she had said that—in her opinion—the female sport teams should be preferably managed by women. “We have a better understanding of each other,” she said. Imagine such words being said by a young woman in 1939. In a country that has not—to this day—stopped being male-dominated. That is also the case with the U.S.
In January of 1939, my mother was all of 22 years and the best Chilean sprinter, a likely winner of a gold medal. But, although she travelled with the team, she could not run.
Some might say that “destiny” decided something else for both young women.
But “destiny” is only part of what happened to the North American athlete today and to my mother 82 years ago. There are other reasons, very human. Or very inhuman.
There were men who thought that they had to assert harsh discipline. And they did so.
More than destiny, what determined the treatment of both young women has more to do with the stern patriarchal control established yesterday and today by the myopic leaders of both countries. In Chile of 1939 and the U.S. of 2021.
In the U.S., the case of Sha’Carrri Richardson also smells of racism. The young Black woman does not pretend to go unnoticed: she wears very long eyelashes and fingernails, long and brilliantly painted flowing hair and—perhaps her worst offense—a very un-submissive attitude. Like a friend of mine sarcastically says, “she’s the wrong type of Black woman.”
Alexandra Ocasio Cortés, the Democratic Socialist US Representative, wrote to the WADA (World Anti-doping Agency) and to the USADA (United States Anti-doping Agency) and declared that “the suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson was a racist decision, not based on science.”
Facing that letter (and many other protests, including a petition from President Joe Biden), the CEO of the USADA, Travis Tygart, declared that his organization “wanted more flexible and fair rules to regulate the use of marijuana.” In an earlier instance he expressed that, “If it was our choice, we would take a very different approach.” Like Pontius Pilate, he’s washing his hands.
Likewise, the President of the WADA, Witold Banks, expressed that “the US has been one of the most vocal and stronger proponents to include cannabinoids in the Forbidden List.” Clearly, these illustrious gentlemen are avoiding responsibilities.
Things have not changed much from the Chile of 1939 to the U.S. of 2021. Although progress has taken place, there are some clear and upsetting connections in the cases of both young women.
Sha’Carri Richardson recently tweeted the following: “So many perfect people, who know how to live their lives…I’m happy not to be like them!”
Keep strong, Sha’Carri!