Sanderson has spoken about the discrimination she had faced as a black woman. In 1990, she told The Guardian that she had faced racial discrimination, although not in her sporting career; and that she felt sexism was the reason that women athletes were not adequately paid. Growing up she experienced racist language and behaviour in school, including being spat on, and has spoken about how, following her Olympic gold in 1984, she received a racist letter saying that she was not truly British. She told "Sky Sports" in October 2020 that "Black athletes didn't have the voice they have now, so I just had to fight my own battles" and that she was disappointed by the continuing lack of black, Asian and minority ethnic representation in sports governing bodies.