"I became fascinated with stealing... I stole from white people" - When Serena Williams' father Richard revealed the poverty he experienced growing up
Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard once opened up about the living conditions he experienced growing up, revealing that his family lived in such abject poverty that he had to resort to stealing at a young age. Interestingly, the American went on to use the habit of starting a produce garden in his backyard, using it to generate an income.
Richard Williams, one of the most popular and controversial figures in modern tennis, was born in 1942 in Shreveport, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. His early life was not one of luxury, as described by himself in his memoir - 'Black and White: The Way I See It' - which he co-wrote with Bart Davis.
Richard, who coached both of his daughters during their formative years, revealed in the book that he became 'fascinated' with stealing at the age of eight, finding a thrill in it.
While he also had a garden in his house, he supplemented his produce section with other fruits and vegetables he stole from other vendors to make a profit from his makeshift store.
"I became fascinated with stealing at the age of eight. I don’t know if the thrill was being able to get away with a crime, or that the crime was against the white man. Either way, it was the start of a prosperous career. At twelve, I started a produce garden in our backyard to stock a farm stand," Richard Williams said.
"Whatever I could not grow, I confiscated — stole — from white people. I stole watermelons, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, tomatoes, hickory nuts, and pecans. Pecans were my biggest seller during Christmas. When I was at school, I hired the men who loitered on street corners to work the farm stand for me," he added.
"The money I brought home barely made ends meet but we survived" - Serena Williams' father Richard
Serena Williams' father Richard admitted in the book that he did not make much money out of such endeavors but was proud regardless of how he helped his family survive.
The American also recalled a painful memory, where he had to cook a piece of spoiled meat and serve it to his family because they were so poor they couldn't afford to throw anything away.
"The money I brought home barely made ends meet but we survived. I used to go out in the woods and hunt bullfrogs to eat, and fish, and shoot rabbits, and steal chickens. One day, I bought some meat from the market and found maggots in it," Richard Williams said.
"It was winter and we were so hungry I could not force myself to throw it away. I cooked it, maggots and all. It wasn’t the first time we ate tainted or spoiled meat. We couldn’t throw anything away, not even bad meat," he added.
Richard and Oracene Price divorced in 2002 after 22 years of being married to each other.