WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Bring It On!’s host Clarence Boone spends the hour with sisters Briah and Taylor O’Neal, who are African-American junior competitive tennis-playing sisters and now children’s book authors. As reported in The Herald-Times on June 19, 2021, Briah and Taylor started playing tennis when they were 3 and 4 years old. They were inspired by Venus and Serena Williams to start playing tennis. They are currently competitive junior tennis players who attend Bloomington High School South students.
In 2019 the sisters had published Serve It to Me, Too (The O’Neal Sisters Tennis Adventures), the first of three volumes of children’s books, which Briah wrote and Taylor illustrated. As brand ambassadors for Justice girls clothing, they were sent to Justice’s headquarters in Ohio in April 2019 for a brand ambassador summit. There they heard keynote speakers; some of whom were young authors. The experience inspired them to write about their own experiences and journey as African-American girls playing the white-dominated sport of tennis.
With the help of their parents, Briah and Taylor found a publisher for their children’s books, and they became published authors in November 2019. Throughout the hour, the sisters talk about what inspired them to write their first book and what continues to drive them today as they continue their journey as competitive junior tennis players. Foremost, the sisters want to spread a message of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and, thus, the book ends with the young girl Deja, the main character, saying “Serve it to me, too”.
Credits:
Today’s host is Clarence Boone.
Bring It On!’s executive producer is Clarence Boone.
The assistant producer is William Hosea.
The show consultant and WFHB News Department Director is Kade Young.
The program engineer is Chantalle LaFontant.
The original theme music was created by Jamyl Efiom, with additional background tracks by David Baker.
