‘Racist’ Cartoon on Serena Williams Reappears on Herald Sun

J.K. Rowling and the Twitterverse slam cartoonist for discriminatory cartoon on Serena Williams.

Mark Knight’s racist cartoon.

(Photo: Twitter/@Knightcartoons)

Serena Williams and chair umpire - Carlos Ramos - were involved in a heated verbal exchange during the 2018 US Open Final. Williams was penalised for her loud on-court ourburst and points were deducted from her score. One of the charges Serena faced was of on-court coaching, which is banned in the US Open. Williams was fined $17,000 for three code violations.

Leading Australian cartoonist Mark Knight has come under heavy criticism for his portrayal of the 2018 US Open finalist - Serena Williams. He poked fun at the tennis star for losing her temper in the final.

Knight Slammed by Tweeple

Knight has drawn flak from many across the world for his “racist” depiction of arguably one of the best tennis players in the history of the game.

J.K. Rowling - one of Serena’s most ardent fans - slammed the Australian cartoonist for “reducing one of the greatest sportswomen into...racist and sexist tropes”. She also called out the artist regarding the manner in which he had portrayed the 20-year-old US Open champion - Naomi Osaka.

“It’s About Bad Behaviour, Certainly Not Race...?”

Tweeple questioned The Herald Sun for providing editorial space to the cartoon. Some have also asked for the cartoonist’s employment to be terminated for his “racist’’ and “discriminatory” cartoon about the US Open women’s singles final.

Was It A Fair Representation?

However, there were several people - including his employers and colleagues - who defended the cartoon and the artist by stating, “It had nothing to do with gender and race.” They called it a fair representation of Serena’s outburst at the US Open Final. They defended Knight on account of his freedom of expression and speech, applauding him for being fearless enough to call out the “powerful for the health of our democracy and society”.

Cartoon Resurfaces on Herald Sun’s Front Page

The same cartoon of Serena Williams reappeared on the Herald Sun’s front page on 12 September, drawing flak on Twitter, once again.

What’s your take?