To fight the violence in Compton and to help more vulnerable communities across the USA, Serena Williams announced the launch of a new auction called Holding Court. The first auctionary event will feature exclusive works created by one of the Williams family’s favorite artists, Ernie Barnes.

The bidding for the highest-valued painting in the auction starts at $100.000.”We are very excited to announce Holding Court, a special auction in partnership with @joopiterofficial featuring four never-before-seen works by @erniebarnesofficial in support of @yprcla.

Ernie Barnes is an iconic Black artist my family and I have long admired. Through his vibrant imagery, he envisioned a colorful world of harmony between all communities, backgrounds, and races. All proceeds from the sale of these amazing works will help fund and provide vital resources to those affected by violence in Compton and underserved communities across the country.

Unity and community are two of the most important pillars the Yetunde Price Resource Center stands on, and we are excited to partner with JOOPITER on the Holding Court auction to continue to support families and individuals in need.

Holding Court is open for global online bidding on JOOPITER.com, with the auction closing on Tuesday, August 1st, at 9am PT,” Serena Williams captioned an Instagram carousel with the paintings that are set to be auctioned.

Serena Williams believes growing up in Compton helped her It appears there’s something between growing up in rough conditions and champions.

Some of the best examples are Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic. While Novak grew up in a war-affected Serbia, Serena had to deal with the drug dealers and violent neighborhood gangs lurking in Compton. Serena, however, affirmed that her origins helped her build confidence.”If it’s not a storm, I don’t feel it.

Honestly, every time I try to prove something, I go back and say: Serena, you’re from Compton, yeah! I can adjust to anything. Because of everything we’ve been through, I think about playgrounds and dropshots, and then feel literally nothing.

But when I hear something, I always look at my training partner or my coach and say: Something’s wrong, because if I feel it, then something is really wrong,” Serena said in the past.