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As a 23-time Grand Slam champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Serena Williams has long been considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. Aside from her excellence in tennis, Williams is also a well-known face in the African American community.
Recent videos of her crip walking during her performance at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show with rapper Kendrick Lamar have gained a lot of traction on social media. The controversy stemmed from Williams doing the Crip Walk, a dance with deep historical roots in Los Angeles gang culture.
Serena Williams’ Crip Walk performance has also opened up tragic memories of her older sister, Yetunde Price, who was shot and killed in a shooting related to gang violence in 2003.
Yetunde Price, the older sister of Serena and Venus Williams, worked as a personal assistant to the players while also working as a nurse and owning a hair salon. Price was shot to death on September 14, 2003, in Compton, California, in what authorities called a gang-linked assault.
She was sitting with her boyfriend, Rolland Wormley, in a white sport utility vehicle when a member of the Southside Crips opened fire on their car. Price, then 31, was struck in the back of her head and later died at a hospital.
Robert Edward Maxfield was charged and arrested for her murder, which the police identified as a member of the South Side Crips gang. In 2006, Maxfield pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was granted parole and released in 2018.
Honoring Yetunde Price’s Legacy and Serena Williams' connection with the Crip Walk
After the death of her sister, Serena Williams was determined to use her influence to make a difference in the world. In 2016, she and Venus Williams established the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, which offered support and services for families impacted by violence.
The center was created in memory of their late sister and seeks to provide healing resources for people in need. In a statement about the initiative, Serena Williams pointed to the significance of transforming their tragedy into something proactive. She said:
"It meant a lot to us, to myself and to Venus and my other sisters as well, Isha and Lyndrea, that we've been wanting to do something for years in memory of her."
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Serena Williams’ Crip Walk at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show received mixed reactions online, especially due to the Crip gang connection to her sister's death. Hip-hop culture and sports have popularized the dance, with many celebrities and athletes like Williams doing it as a celebration.
This isn’t the first time Williams has done the Crip Walk on a big stage. She previously celebrated winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics with the dance.
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