Even if you're not a Tennis fan, we've all seen videos of the Us Open final match. The game was Serena Williams, who holds 23 Grand Slam titles, versus Naomi Osaka Haitian-Japanese player, who just won her first Grand Slam. Naomi's nationality is mentioned in this article since it will be the main focus of this post.
Before we get into it, I think it's important to mention what happened during the match. Firstly, Serena broke her tennis racket which got her a warning from a referee. Secondly, coaching is forbidden especially in this tournament. Serena's coach made a hand gesture which got her a point penalty, I must state that Serena claims that she did not see said hand sign and disagreed with the referee. In her defense, if it was me and I didn't cheat I'd be frustrated also but, people preferred portraying her as the "angry black woman" that couldn't admit she was "wrong". Thirdly, because of her frustration, Serena spoke with the referee again, demanding an apology for “stealing” a point from her. She started arguing with a second referee during the second set. Serena called the first referee a “thief,” and he assessed her a third code violation for verbal abuse, resulting in a game penalty putting Naomi closer to winning the championship.
Naomi won however, her victory was bitter-sweet, she had to deal with winning against her idol, then she got "booed" by Serena fans once she won, she had to deal with people on social media saying if it wasn't for Serena's misfortune she would not have won. How unfair is that? She played a fair game, Serena gave her the credit she deserved, and she won regardless yet, people tried to deny her that victory.
For my part, I am very proud of her, she is a 20 year old Haitian-Japanese woman who WON her first Grand Slam against one of the best Tennis players in the world but,
Is this victory for Haiti?
During several interviews when interviewers only mentioned Naomi's Japanese nationality, she corrected them by stating that she was also Haitian and that's great, I "stan" a Haitian queen.
STAN:
"Stan means you look up to that person, you watch them or you truly love their content. It's another word for saying you idolize someone or something.
Source: Urban dictionary
Naomi's dad is Haitian and she grew up in a Haitian household with her Haitian grandmother however, does it mean that Haiti should claim her victory? No.
Why? Because Naomi will always be known as the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam.
Why? Because she chose to represent Japan when she turned pro. The reason she made this decision was because Japan has invested in her ever since she was a child. Naomi came to Haiti last summer and asked to be sponsored so she could represent Haiti and our President turned her down because apparently Haiti couldn't afford the expenses.
It is possible to have dual-citizenship while being a tennis player however, you will never make history with both. When the time to make a choice came, "Our" Naomi chose Japan, rightfully so because as I stated before, that country invested in her for her to get this far. It doesn't mean she denied her Haitian heritage, she already acknowledged she was Haitian but, the fact is Haiti was not part of her success so, Haiti can't claim shit.
So for our President and other "colleagues" to write on social media as if the victory was also for the Haitian community is beyond me. I have no problem with him congratulating her and being proud but calling her "Our Naomi" as if we invested in her, we encouraged her, we acknowledged her since the beginning is just outrageous. Especially when he rarely does it for the athletes currently in the country and when he did not create a budget to invest in the Athleticism Sector of our country.
While "Haitian Twitter" was in shambles arguing over the fact that Haitians should claim this achievement as their own also, I saw a tweet that got me thinking.
This is a tweet from Mendes R. Jr, a Haitian bodybuilder. He said and I quote:
"Does Haiti know that 2 weeks ago I won a Bodybuilding Tournament in Aruba that got me qualified in "The world Tournament" that will be held in Italy from November 2nd to November 4 2018? Naomi is lucky where both Haitians and Japanese are able to be proud of her, while only people in my house are proud of me.
This tweet speaks volumes because there is too much truth in it. Haitians want to claim Naomi SO bad while they ignore Haitian athletes who fight everyday for recognition, sponsors, support and much more. Had Naomi grew up in Haiti, first of all she would not get all this love and second of all she would not have made it this far. This may be a hard pill to swallow but, these are FACTS. Instead of claiming things that aren't ours, how about we claim what's truly ours before it's too late? Instead of supporting Haitian talent when they've already reached their goal, how about we support them while they are working to get there?
It is okay to be proud, it is okay to ask for recognition sometimes but, this victory is not ours. In this situation all we can do is be proud of Naomi and be happy for her, nothing more. We can be grateful that she loves her Haitian culture this much, yes grateful because after the rejection she got last year, she could've chosen to not mention us at all.
Something we can also do is quit d***riding all the foreign athletes and start putting all that energy in OUR people that truly need it. Not saying Naomi didn't need it but, most of y'all started acknowledging her literally the day she was playing against Serena. Stop IT.
To be honest, although I am proud of Naomi, her success does not make me feel proud to be Haitian. She represents Japan, her victory has nothing to do with me as a Haitian.
You want to know who makes my "Haitian Pride" kick in thanks to his success?
Jerry Merveille
I've had the chance to interview Jerry for this article and I was pretty satisfied with the answers I've received.
Jerry Merveille is now part of a Second Division football team (La Liga 2) in Madrid, called Agrupaciòn Deportivo Alcorcòn (ADA). He signed a whole year contract with this team.
It means a lot to me because I didn't get any help from any agent, I was able to organize everything on my own. - Jerry Merveille
The path you took before reaching this step in your career?
Jerry: I started playing in Pacot at the age of 8 years old. Afterwards, when I decided to train in a football center, at the age of 16, I enrolled in FC Shanna. At the age of 17, I realized that I had to leave Haiti and study abroad, in order to give myself a chance to get better in football. With the help and support of my parents, I was able to move to the United States. Even though I had a clear plan, I spent 2 years without a team but, I still trained. I then received an offer from a College in Washington, where I spent 2 great seasons. Wanting to achieve more, I decided to go to Europe, I did everything in my power to get there and now I am in Madrid.
Who helped you financially?
Jerry: My parents and people very close to me.
Which (any) help did you receive from Haiti?
Jerry: Financially, I did not receive any official help from the country however, people from my neighborhood (Pacot), close friends and family gave me a lot of support. They are the reason I was able to get this far.
Once the contract finalized, have you received any message from the President or official member of the state congratulating you for your success?
Jerry: Until this day, no. However, it's never too late.
This last question is very important and it was the whole point of this interview. Why is it that athletes like Jerry and Mendes don't get acknowledged for their accomplishments? Why is it that only family and close friends show love? How come the rest of the country isn't fighting to claim them like they tried to claim Naomi? Why is it that we support foreigners before OUR OWN?.
Are they waiting for Jerry to get in a First Division team and then claim him as "Our Jerry"?
After reading this article, these are the questions I need you guys to think about. For my part, I admire Jerry and Mendes for their accomplishments, these two make me more than proud to be Haitian.
Jerry Merveille, your story touches me on a personal level because I've heard you talk about how difficult your path was and words can't express how happy I am for you. I will also add that you live up to your name.
"Merveille" in english means: "Wonder, Prodigy, Gem, Marvel" and you are ALL of the above. Once again, congratulations on your success and I wish you all the best in this new journey.
I thank Jerry for agreeing to participate in this interview, I congratulate Mendes for being qualified to represent us in Italy. I hope that pretty soon they get the recognition they deserve.
I will end this post with two quotes very relevant to today's subject.
"Be proud of yourself for how hard you're trying." - Unknown
"Sometimes people won't understand your journey. They don't need to, it's not for them." - Unknown
If you are going through something and you feel like people are not supporting you enough or don't understand what you're going through, it's okay they don't have to understand, be proud of yourself.
I thank you all for taking the time to read this article, until next time.
Tiff's Thoughts.
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