My Day at The White House

I had the honor of spending yesterday at The White House. While I've been to The White House twice before to participate in the annual Easter Egg Roll, this visit was very different. I was invited to introduce Madam Vice President and help launch a new national task force aimed at addressing online harassment and abuse. The task force convenes Cabinet-level officials, experts, and other agency leaders for 180 days to develop thoughtful recommendations and policy suggestions for the federal government, state government, and private sector to act.

I wanted to use my Bulletin platform to share my full remarks that I delivered yesterday. Based on a few of the replies I've received, some people still think that the way for me to address online harassment and abuse is to simply shut off my phone or not look at my messages. This ignores two critical factors - 1) I am human and have every right to enjoy using social media in a fun, productive manner like I do here with you and 2) online actions are often early indicators of future physical acts, as two survivor panelists so courageously spoke about yesterday. I am encouraged that such senior level focus is being put on this issue and I will be checking in frequently with the task force over the next 180 days.

My Remarks to The White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse on June 16, 2022:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I am humbled to share the stage with these incredible survivors and am hopeful that our collective voices can help address this issue.

Many of you might first associate me with being a professional tennis player, which of course is my day job, but it is not the sum of who I am. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife. I am more than an athlete, more than a label. Yet all of that is disregarded when people online seek to harass and harm me. No matter whether I win or lose, someone online is mad and they will make it known. There have been times when I am walking off the court after a loss and I’m not even thinking about anything related to tennis - I am holding my phone in my hand, absolutely terrified and wondering what is waiting for me when I unlock it.

People know where I live and everything I do. I have been harassed, and very credibly threatened. I understand that I am a public figure because of my job, but that access and exposure should never come at the expense of my safety.

It is so triggering to constantly advocate for myself and relive the trauma of these messages, while knowing I’m getting more messages because I’m speaking up. No matter the emojis I block or the filters I put in place, I’ve learned that if someone is determined to be abusive and threatening, they get very creative.

But, I love social media, I love being online. I use these platforms every day to keep up with loved ones and have a direct dialogue with my community. I’m constantly sharing memes and posts with friends, and in that same inbox there are people threatening to harm me.

When I went public with my experience after last year’s US Open , I was shocked by both the outrage and outpouring of support. It was baffling to me, because this has been my daily, lived experience for over a decade. Out of sheer survival, I’ve spent my career trying to desensitize myself to how unacceptable this is, escalating to authorities when credible, and consistently in therapy to process.

But then I thought about all the people out there who don’t have a team filtering their messages, or a direct line to law enforcement or access to mental health services. What about them? What about the young girls or people of color or anyone that’s terrified that they will be harmed or are driven to harm themselves. I’m here today for them.

I have used my platform to have direct conversations with tech companies, fellow athletes, and anyone who I thought might have some power to influence the situation. That is how I arrived at The White House today. I hope that by hearing these stories and bringing decision makers together, we can make a difference for everyone, no matter the size of their platform.

It is now my pleasure to introduce someone who inspires and motivates me—as a Black woman, an advocate, and a trailblazer—someone who has dedicated her entire career to fighting for survivors of abuse, and led the way in shining a light on cyber-exploitation years before it was an issue on the public’s radar — the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. Thank you, Madam Vice President, for all you have done and continue to do.