Althea Gibson
IN 1950, Althea Gibson became the first black woman to play at the US Nationals. She advanced to the second round of the tournament and showed many ignorant tennis fans that African Americans belonged on the tennis court.
In 1957, she won the women’s singles tennis title at Wimbledon and became the first African American to win a championship at London’s All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She was welcomed home with a ticker tape parade in New York.
In 1964, at the age of 37, Gibson became the first African-American woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour.
Racial discrimination continued to be a problem, however, as many hotels still excluded people of colour, and country club officials routinely refused to allow her to compete. When she did compete, she was often forced to dress for tournaments in her car because she was banned from the clubhouse.
Following her retirement, in 1971, Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She stayed connected to sports, however, through a number of service positions. Beginning in 1975, she served 10 years as commissioner of athletics for the state of New Jersey. She was also a member of the governor’s council on physical fitness.