What Happened to Serena Williams at the U.S. Open Happens to Black Girls in School Every Day

• Black girls are policed, patrolled, and punished, for the way we wear our hair.
• Black girls are policed, patrolled, and punished for the way we speak.
• Black girls are policed, patrolled, and punished about the clothes we wear.

A List of ‘Black Girl Rules’

1. Smile.
2. Don’t talk talk too loud.
3. Don’t smack your lips.
4. Don’t roll your eyes.
5. Lose weight.
6. Don’t wear “the wrong clothes” or its your fault if you get raped/sexually assaulted.
7. Smile and don’t talk talk too loud.
8. Don’t smile at grown men or its your fault if you get raped/sexually assaulted.
9. Try to change your “ghetto” name.
10. Don’t disagree with your teacher’s assessment of history and world events.
11. “Talking back” gets your punished/policed or dead in America.
12. There is no room for sadness or depression. Bury your feelings. No one cares about your trauma, except Jesus. But only tell Jesus in your prayers, on church Sundays, and then get over it.
13. Everything you do is a reflection on all Black women. Don’t shame us in front of White people.
14. Smile and don’t talk talk too loud.
15. Be pretty but not too pretty. Otherwise, you are encouraging sexual abuse and harassment.