- The Breakdown
- Posts
- “I let my racket talk”: Setting our Black history record straight.
“I let my racket talk”: Setting our Black history record straight.
History may be written by the winners, but we still hold the power to tell the truth.
Aaricka Washington
September 02, 2025
By now, you’ve probably seen the video of tennis players Taylor Townsend and Jeļena Ostapenko in a tense argument after Townsend won the U.S. Open second round. According to Townsend, Ostapenko told her that she has “no education” and “no class” after Ostapenko was defeated.
As I watched Townsend reflect on the moment in a press conference, something she said stood out to me.
“There has been a thing, a stigma in our community…not being educated in all the things when it’s the furthest thing from the truth and the thing I’m most proud of is I let my racket talk…”
What she said reminded me of how important it is to look at the record instead of the naysayers who deny your credibility. The numbers, the results, the facts are the proof of resilience, strength and victory.
She indeed let her racket talk despite her opponent’s claims that she was disrespectful because she did not apologize after she won a net cord point.
It made me think…how do I let my figurative “racket” talk? How do I lay down the facts and hold my head high up with my dignity still intact, especially in a time when the federal government is actively trying to shift the narrative of Black history?
Friday was the 70th anniversary of the death of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago who was kidnapped and barbarically murdered by white men while visiting relatives in Mississippi. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, chose an open-casket funeral to expose the racially-motivated violence against her son, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. She also allowed JET Magazine to publish an image of her son’s mutilated body on the cover of its Sept. 22, 1955 issue.
I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C., which some affectionately call “The Blacksonian,” nine years ago. One of the first exhibits I saw was the multimedia section that features Emmett Till’s original glass-topped casket.
Till’s mother, JET Magazine and The Blacksonian were setting the record straight for the world to see. Getting the facts straight about our Black history is crucial, especially in a time when it’s being sanitized, whitewashed, and erased. In a time when there are still assertions that Black people have no class or education. Black people must set their own record straight.
I have a lot of respect and pride for those who are choosing to set the facts straight and allow the records to talk especially when the government and those in power want to downplay the struggles and horrors Black people have endured. Black people must combat erroneous claims and lies in order to claim to a dignified future in this country. I keep reminding myself how important it is to not only view institutions that keep (and fight for) documentation of real history, but also how crucial it is for us as individuals to document it, too.
As I continue to do my work as a journalist, I often think about the privilege I have adding to and maintaining the historical record. I don’t take that for granted. I want to continue to learn, to research and to grow in my field so that I can make a positive impact in the lives of others, move the country forward and influence others like me.
One of the ways I am working on this is through a new initiative that highlights our forefathers’ and foremothers’ triumphs and struggles in history. Stay tuned for more details later this month.
FEATURED STORY
(Illustration by Tara James/AfroLA)
In Los Angeles, there are about 20,000 youth in the foster care system, most of them Black and Latine. L.A. foster youth often endure trauma – neglect, abandonment or abuse. More than half have chronic health conditions.
A new program offers a way forward. The L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles joined forces to create the You Belong Foster Youth Initiative in collaboration with community partners, including L.A. Unified School District. Foster youth ages 12-26 get free membership any of the 28 YMCAs in L.A. County – for free.
As part of You Belong, foster youth age 18 to 26 can participate in Pathways to Belonging, which includes paid job training, mentoring, financial literacy classes and other life skills workshops. Licensed clinical social workers will also help them transition into adulthood.
Read ChrisAnna Mink's story for more.
SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM
Our love runs deep. We can only continue amplifying the voices of underserved folks in our region through your generous donations.
We are passing the collection plate. 🙏🏾 (It’s 100% tax-deductible.)
(Keep scrolling…It’s worth it. 🤞🏾)
THE “MUST” LIST
Welcome to a new section of The Breakdown. I will be sharing the latest things I’m reading, watching, buying or listening to. (Keep scrolling…It’s worth it. 🤞🏾)
Must-read: My dad’s family is from Watts and lived through events many of us have only read about in history books, including the Watts Rebellion of 1965 and the L.A. Uprisings of 1992. I am currently reading Black Los Angeles: American Dreams and Racial Realities.
Fun fact from the book: Did you know California was named after a fictional Black queen? As a former history teacher, I love learning about the past. We can learn a lot about our present and future when we delve into what our ancestors did and accomplished.
Must-watch: It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The disproportionate impact on predominantly-Black neighborhoods and high Black death toll — more than half were Black residents — laid bare neglect and racial inequalities in Black communities. A spate of new documentaries detail the storm’s destruction, the lack of adequate government response, and the people whose lives were forever changed.
Spike Lee’s Katrina: Come Hell and High Water on Netflix
Traci Curry’s Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time on National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu
Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina on Peacock
Above the Tide: 20 Years After Katrina on ESPN+
BET’s 20 Summers: Rebuilding the Rhythm of New Orleans available free on YouTube
Must-do: I usually find out about dope local events scrolling through IG. Here’s one:
The Compton Art & History Museum (an extension of nonprofit Color Compton) has a new exhibition on display, “Boundless Echoes: the Unending Sounds of Resistance.”
***
Send your must-have, must-read, must-do, must-listen recommendations to me at [email protected]. hey might be featured in a future newsletter.
MORE AFROLA STORIES
Brenda Speight (left), a case worker with the nonprofit Door of Hope, sits with Danielle Valdes and her daughter Misty during a check-in at the organization’s Pasadena office. Door of Hope played a key role in the Valdes family’s recovery after they lost their multigenerational home in the Eaton Fire. (Photo courtesy Door of Hope)
Danielle Valdes just finished remodeling her kitchen and building a backyard patio when the Eaton Fire destroyed her family's West Altadena home in January.
In the blink of an eye, the Valdeses lost their multigenerational household and their home-based event planning business. While the family's recovery journey is far from over, local nonprofits are filling in the void where government agencies are lagging. Door of Hope launched a Eaton Fire Housing Assistance Program within days of the disaster.
The Pasadena-based Christian nonprofit provided the Valdeses with furniture, rental help and business inventory.
Union Station Homeless Service turned its adult center into an emergency resource hub to distribute food, baby formula, clothes and bedding. While federal funds stalled, amid FEMA leadership turmoil and aid delays under the Trump Administration, Door of Hope and Union Station stepped in with more flexible, on-the-ground support. How? Trust from already being embedded within the community.
“Support can’t end when the smoke clears,” Danielle Valdes said. “This is grief. It lasts.”
Read Gerardo Chagolla's story on how nonprofits are filling in the gaps for Eaton Fire survivors.
* * *
Why would a Black artist move from Nashville, a well-established music industry city, to Los Angeles?
AfroLA videographer William Jenkins documented how moves from the South to the West Coast impacted three artists now in L.A. – Khrystopher (Khrystopher Hatch), Zill Zeppelin (Elliot Furman), and Lo Naurel (Lauren McClinton) – and their growth as musicians. Watch the video on YouTube and read more on AfroLA.
Show us some love! Donate to help us continue delivering quality journalism to your inbox, and to our communities. We need your support to keep going, and growing.
THE ROUNDUP
By Brandon Tensley (Capital B)
While the federal government obscures Black narratives of American history, Emmett Till’s family and advocates fight to keep his memory alive by making his trip from Chicago to Mississippi by train on the 70th anniversary of his death. Brandon spoke to Till’s cousin, Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. who was traveling with him back in Aug. 28, 2025 about the importance of preserving Emmett Till’s story and the continual push for civil rights advocacy.
* * *
By Curtis Bunn and Steve Kopack (NBC News)
On Aug. 25, President Donald Trump sent a termination letter to Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to sit on the independently-run Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He said he was firing her after accusations of committed mortgage fraud. Four days later, Cook sued Trump for “unprecedented and illegal” attempts to remove her from her position, stating that she will not resign. NBC BLK’s story explores the impact of her HBCU education as well as the Republican resistance she’s faced in the past.
* * *
By Phoenix Tso (LA Public Press)
How can low-income people access food that is healthy, fresh and affordable to them? In this news-you-can use article, read about the different community-driven ways you can find fresh food in Los Angeles, and how you can help others do the same.
* * *
Other stories I’m reading…
Did you know that you can read the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, the Washington Post free with your Los Angeles Public Library card number? If you live in another city within L.A. County, check out how on your city’s website.
The Race to Rescue PBS and NPR Stations (The New York Times)
Caroline Wanga steps down as president and CEO of ESSENCE Ventures (From Phil Lewis’s What I’m Reading newsletter)
Inside the USAID Fire Sale (The Atlantic)
New Seasons of ‘Sesame Street’, ‘Ms. Rachel’ and ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ Set Release Dates at Netflix (Variety)
You made it! Before you go… 🫶🏾
What do you think about The Breakdown?
If you received this email from a friend, sign up for The Breakdown newsletter. Your inbox will thank you. 😄
We need YOUR keep growing our community. Will you share this newsletter with 5 friends? ✌🏾