Welcome to our 13th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Althea Gibson, an African American tennis player! Enjoy!
Major accomplishments
-First African American tennis player to compete at Wimbledon
-First African American player to play at U.S nationals.
Althea Gibson was born in South Carolina on August 25, 1927. In her early years, she and her family moved to Harlem in New York City. She struggled in school, and her family would make ends meet. However, Gibson started playing table tennis and excelled in it. So much so, Buddy Walker, a musician, invited her to play tennis at the local tennis courts.
Sporting events were especially segregated in the 1940s and 50s which made playing even harder for Gibson. However, Gibson found her way by winning the Black Women’s Championships and many other titles. Once, she was invited to play for the French Open, and she won the singles title becoming the first African American to do so. In 1957, she won Wimbledon, another first for black women. In addition, she won the U.S open and was named the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in 1957 and 1958. Gibson had received 56 singles and doubles titles by the end of the 1950s.
After her retirement, Gibson became the first African American to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Until 1971, she participated in pro golf and that same year she was voted to have a place in the National Lawn Tennis Association. From 1975 to 1985, she served her term as a Commissioner of Athletics in New Jersey. After living a fulfilling life, she passed away on September 28, 2003 at the age of 76. Gibson had become a role model for many young women at the time and influenced the female representation in sports.
This is a Woman of the Week article, a weekly deep dive into an amazing women of color. For more incredible stories like this one, check out our article on Maria Tallchief and Ellen Ochoa! Also, make sure to follow us at @likeagirlglobal on Instagram for more updates and original content!
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