{
  "id": 2422322,
  "title": "During Her Time With Nike, Serena Williams Advocated For Greater Representation Of Black Women Hires At The Company",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/during-her-time-with-nike-serena-williams-advocated-for-greater",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T19:19:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/during-her-time-nike-serena-191907121.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, has been signed to Nike for over two decades. During a conversation at Invest Fest's \"Earn Your Leisure\" in early August, Williams discussed how her relationship with the company has evolved. She acknowledged that Nike has grown alongside her, but also noted periods when she felt disconnected and marginalized within the organization. Williams highlighted an issue of not seeing enough Black women in meetings and decision-making roles, which she believes contributed to her feeling of isolation. Nike, led by former CEO Mark Parker, addressed this concern, leading to significant changes in the internal structure of the company. Parker served from 2006 to 2020 and was succeeded by John Donahoe, who was followed by Elliott Hill in 2024. Williams praised Parker for his efforts to transform Nike from within, expressing that the company now boasts a leadership team composed primarily of women and Black women. She emphasized the positive impact of this shift, noting that it fills her with pride and satisfaction to see Black women in influential positions at Nike. The changes at Nike, she believes, demonstrate what a major corporation can achieve when it listens to its athletes and responds to their calls for diversity and inclusion.",
  "summary": "Serena Williams made sure more Black women have a seat at the table at Nike.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}