And just like that. In 10.64 seconds, 21-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson let the world know that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Sha’Carri stunned the world as she became the fastest women in the world – winning her 100-meter race and securing her spot on the U.S. women’s team at the Tokyo Olympics. Her victory even more meaningful, after revealing that she lost her biological mother just one week prior to her win.
In a post-race interview, when asked what she wants viewers at home to know about herself, she responded, "I just want the world to know that I'm that girl... and every time I step on the track, I'm going to try to do what it is that me, my coach, my support team believe I can do and the talent that God blessed me to have... I'm never going to take an opportunity to perform in vain.
After the race, she ran to her grandmother for an embrace that we could all feel through the television. She also gave praise to her family and coach for supporting her and being there for her. “Everybody has struggles and I understand that. But y’all see me on this track and y’all see the poker face I put on. But nobody but my family and my coach know what I go through…and I’m highly grateful to them. Without them, there would be no me.”
Sha’Carri’s words resonated with me and every Black woman on a visceral level. “I’m that girl”, she said. There’s something to be said for hard work and dedication. To set a goal, work diligently towards it, and despite whatever odds and heartbreak come your way, you reach that very goal. Even when no one recognizes or acknowledges your greatness, you are still “that girl.”
You don’t have to be an Olympic track star. You may be a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, artist, writer, dancer, singer, entrepreneur, student, teacher, dark-skinned, orange hair, long eyelashes, long nails – just the fact that you’re a woman living and breathing on this earth. You make a way out of no way, you hold it together when everything is falling apart, you take care of your children, your family, your community, and sometimes your voice is not heard. YOU ARE THAT GIRL!!
If you still have breath, you can push forward. And despite what anyone thinks or says, you are a force to be reckoned with.