Women’s History Month: TNT Talks Honoring Her Globetrotters
“The representation is what’s most important, specifically having women in spaces where they might not be in normally.”
— Fatima “TNT” Lister, Harlem Globetrotters
One thing we’ve learned this month specifically is that the world would be a very dull place to live in without the continuing influence of women from all walks of life. The mere sight of witnessing ladies dominate in areas not seen before can be life-changing for many, especially when it’s a woman of color at the forefront.
For nearly 100 years, the world-renowned exhibition basketball team known as The Harlem Globetrotters has brought joy to generations of families with its theatrical displays of sports entertainment. However, it took over half a century before the organization would hire its first female player with Basketball Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard in 1985.
40 years later, a handful of women now grace the Harlem Globetrotters roster including guard Fatima “TNT” Lister. Back in 2011, she became the first female Globetrotter to join the team since 1993 and has been a shining example of greatness in the decade-and-a-half since.
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Right on time to help us close out Women’s History Month, we ran into TNT last week (3/27) during the grand reopening of mega arcade Dave & Buster’s Times Square. In-between trying out games like Godzilla VR and the The Human Crane, which is just as fun as it sounds, the proud basketball mom spoke with us about the importance of being in her position as a crowd-facing woman that many young girls are looking up to with wide eyes. “The representation is what’s most important, specifically having women in spaces where they might not be in normally,” she told us in defining what keeps her motivated, further adding, “The fact that I get to be that [for the Harlem Globetrotters] and represent for women wherever I go, not to mention do amazing events like helping to relaunch Dave & Buster’s, makes me feel really lucky. This place feels like a Globetrotters game, in the sense that it’s somewhere the entire family came come and have a great time, just like our game!”
#18 (@tnt_18_)We send a special salute to TNT and women like her across all platforms who stand strong in their representation while showing us effortlessly that sisters are in fact doing it for themselves.
