Submission 4

1

Identify interviewee, her demographic information (place of birth, approximate age, where they grew up, family size).

Christina Richards is a retired African-American athlete born in Havana, Florida, in 1972. She had a taste in sports, primarily athletics which she began in the 6th grade before pushing it further after joining Northside High School. They lived in a two-bedroom house before moving to a three-bedroom home after her dad joined the police department.

Christina grew up in the Tallahassee Metro area alongside her older brother and younger sister. Her mum used to work at a local restaurant in Havana, while her dad was one of the few Americans working as a cop at the Havana Police Department. Before becoming a sheriff, his father was a basketball coach at a community club in Havana. Being of the black race and the female sex, participating in sports was challenging. This was because of the 19th and 20th-century sports rules, which prohibited women from sports before the laws were amended. Discrimination because of her black race also held her from assessing different areas in sports, making it hard for her to live the life of an athlete.

She was a 4 * 100 meters relay athlete who participated and competed in different places, including the 1991 event held at Havana. Christina, who is now approximately 49, stopped participating in athletics after turning because health issues. She started having a kneel problem after winning her very first silver medal at the United States Outdoor Track and Field Championships held in California in 1995.