Three Women, Three Races, One Truth

In this segment from Black Is America, host Dominic Lawson brings us to the starting line of three iconic races—three Black women in three different eras, each running not just against the clock but against the world’s expectations.

Wilma Rudolph, who as a child was told she’d never walk again, shatters barriers at the 1960 Rome Olympics, becoming the fastest woman on the planet. Florence “Flo Jo” Griffith-Joyner stuns everyone with an unthinkable 10.49 seconds at the 1988 Olympic trials, setting a world record still untouched today. And in a race for redemption, Sha’Carri Richardson storms back at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, silencing every doubt.

Together, their stories weave a single, undeniable truth: Black women have always run toward greatness—even when the world told them to slow down.