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"Even in the tennis world it is not a united
place," Townsend said in a Tennis United video posted on
YouTube. "We lose our identity of who we are because there can
only be one.
"I've had people argue with me to tell me that I'm Coco Gauff.
I'm not Coco Gauff but all of us look the same, all of us are
built the same, everybody sees a black person and they assume
it's Venus or Serena (Williams) or Sloane (Stephens).
"Even from the aspect you walk through and nobody stops you and
I'm walking through and somebody has to check my bag, check my
credential, check my coach's bag, check my coach's credential.
"It's extra-security, extra-precautions that need to be taken to
make sure I belong."
Townsend made the comments as crowds filled the streets of
cities around the world on Sunday to protest the killing of
African-American George Floyd while in Minneapolis police
custody.
"The black community has been suppressed, our identity has been
robbed from us," said the 24-year-old still chasing a first WTA
singles title. "Black men are being gunned down and killed in
the middle of the street in broad daylight from police officers.
"This is our reality and this is the reality that we've been
having to deal with for so long, of people not being comfortable
with you.
"This is our reality. It happens all the time - week in, week
out, every tournament that I play in the States, overseas, it
doesn't matter."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Stephen
Coates)
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