Sports icon Serena Williams is not the first Black woman to experience discrimination, but her latest campaign in partnership with Secret Deodorant is striving to ensure she’s the last of her generation.
In the new ad called “Not The First,” the 23-time Grand Slam title holder and personal care brand champion gender equality while celebrating strong, trailblazing women.
The direct message? The road to equality takes more than a list of “firsts.”
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Just in time for International Women’s Day (Mar. 8), Williams and Secret emphasize that the current league of female athletes breaking records will no longer be a novelty in sports but belong just as much as their male counterparts.
“I’m not the first to win a Grand Slam tournament,” Williams said. “I’m not the first to start a clothing line.”
Olympic gold medalist, Swin Cash, joins Williams in the one-minute commercial to echo the same sentiment.
“I’m not the first to win a basketball world championship,” the WNBA champ says.
Both accomplished competitors salute the ladies who paved the way toward gender parity. What’s more, they’re making way for the women on their heels. And rightfully so. Critics and naysayer be damned.
Check out the campaign below:
