# data[].attributes.body
Ashleigh Johnson

Ashleigh Johnson is considered the best water polo goalkeeper and the first and only African American woman to make the US Olympic team.

# data[].attributes.body
Just Watch Me

The #justwatchme campaign was Launched by Secret Deodorant to help empower more women to continue playing sports even if they are male-dominated. "By age 14, girls drop out of sports 2x the rate of boys, and by age 17, 51% of girls will quit." Ashleigh Johnson partnered with the campaign to be the voice for black women who fear playing sports because of their gender and race. This campaign donated 1 million dollars to support gender equality and further the representation of women and girls in sports of all ages.

# data[].attributes.body
Inequalities in women's water polo:

1. Pay disparities: Women water polo players often earn less than their counterparts, even at professional and Olympic levels.

2. Media coverage: women in water polo receive less media coverage than men which leads to less visibility and fewer opportunities for sponsorships.

3. Underrepresented in leadership: Women lack leadership roles in water polo organizations on and off the field.

# data[].attributes.body
Leaving Home

Ashleigh Johson explains how difficult it was to transition from her hometown of Miami to California where water polo was more common.

"It was an uncomfortable transition," Johnson explained. "I didn't have a dream to be here, because I just didn't see a pathway to be here. I didn't see, like, anyone who looked like me here, anyone with my background here, and it just seemed like a world away."

# data[].attributes.body
Rule The Water

This commercial was launched during the USA's return to Paris, one century after the last games. This commercial was made to remind viewers of how far women's sports have come from one hundred years ago, and a century ago women's water polo did not exist. These women did the impossible.

# data[].attributes.body
Black Women in Waterpolo

"It took me understanding the bigger context of not only our sport but access to aquatics, the historical exclusion of people of color from aquatic spaces," she said. "And it took all of that to start writing a new history, start writing a new story, start opening up that pathway for the people who will follow me."

Being a black woman in a water sport is extremely inspiring because, black men, women and girls were not able to use public pools back then, she makes it a point to highlight those struggles, a play a sport other families members did not have a chance to play.

# data[].attributes.body
Intersectionality

A Voice from the South: By A Black Woman of the South by Anna Julia Copper argued that "neither women's experiences nor black people's experiences could be understood without a consideration of the unique lives of Black women. (Free 97)

This closely relates to Johnsons' story because the way black women do gender is completely different. The way black women are treated by society is something many will never experience. Not only does she have to deal with racism but sexism as well.