"There would be no me without women like Nina Simone" - Venus Williams on late singer's legacy
Fomer World No. 1 Venus Williams has joined hands with fine artist Adam Pendleton to co-curate an auction to raise money for the restoration of American singer-songwriter Nina Simone’s childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina.
While sharing some of the details of the venture in her latest inteview with the Paper magazine, Williams spoke about the importance of preserving history of the underrepresented communities and her personal connection with Simone and the singer's legacy.
Declaring that there would be no "Venus Williams" without a trailblazer like Nina Simone, the seven-time Major winner said the late singer broke so many barriers and opened doors for people of colour. She lauded her courage to stand for the truth even if it came with its sacrifices.
"There would be no me without women like Nina," Venus Williams said. "She broke so many barriers; she opened so many doors and sacrificed so much. There were so many other artists at that time who weren't willing to make those sacrifices."
"You could tell that the truth meant a lot to her," she conitned. "So much so that she was willing to sacrifice her position in the world and her success for what really mattered. I literally am doing what I do because of her and because of people like her."
Speaking of the restoration, Williams said that Simone deserved a site that represented her spirit before expressing her excitement at being a part of the project.
"Also, she deserves a site with those same qualities," Venus Williams said. "There isn’t enough preservation of the legacies of people with brown skin, so this is very exciting to be a part of."
"It's such an honor to be a part of this because I truly love art," the former World No. 1 said. "It makes me so happy to be able to preserve Nina’s legacy."
"History is so important to me" - Venus Williams
Driving home the importance of knowing the past, Williams said she was grateful to her parent for instilling a keen interest in histories, both personal and cultural, in her.
"History is so important to me," Venus Williams said. "My mom and dad were so adamant that you must know your history so that you know yourself. Because of that I knew about Nina Simone and her legacy growing up."
"This moment is so important because her influence persists to this day, and her [Simone's] brilliance lives on and really transcends time and culture." she added.
The American went on to say describe the moment as important, saying the centre will be a tribute to Simone — whose brilliance transcended time.