We have witnessed many changes for Black women over the last four centuries. Life for black American women has taken many turns from slavery to emancipation and from obscurity to world-wide recognition. In spite of obtaining constitutional freedom in the United States, continued racism still affects black women economically, politically, and religiously.
But though racism continues to present challenges to Black women, many have not allowed the prejudice to keep them from making contributions to culture including education, writing and journalism, arts, science, inventions, medicine, sports, entertainment, politics, jurisprudence, air and space, religion and missions, and activism. Even with the obstacles against them, many black women bravely have risen above their circumstances to realize their dreams and make life better for themselves and those around them.
There are so many great Black women; we can only cover the stories of a few. For that reason, we are focusing on “Firsts” in history. We began this series by covering the stories of women who were “Firsts” in Education, including women who earned PhD’s and famous educators. We talked about famous First writers and authors and famous artists. Then we discovered the stories of Black Women Firsts in Science, Inventions, and Medicine.
For the next few weeks, we will honor tremendous Black female athletes. This week let’s look at women who excelled in tennis.
Althea Gibson -Tennis, Golf, and Much More
The loser says it may be possible, but it’s difficult: the winner says it may be difficult, but it’s possible. Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson
In our series on Black Female Firsts, Althea Gibson shines as a tennis player, musician, golfer, sports commissioner, and mentor to young athletes. Althea was the first black woman to win titles in tennis and she has become one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Althea was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina. Her parents moved to New York when she was very young. She grew up on the streets of Harlem in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. She had three sisters and one brother.
Growing up in Harlem was tough. Althea was often in trouble. She later said, “I liked to play hooky and spend the day in the movies, especially on Fridays, when they had a big show at the Apollo theatre on 125th Street.”[1] Althea was unable to stick to jobs or school. She loitered in the streets playing paddle tennis. A local musician, Buddy Walker, saw her playing in the street and decided to take her to the Harlem River Tennis Club where he was a member to play. Observing Althea’s skill Buddy Walker arranged a match between her and Fred Johnson, a professional. All agreed that she had talent. Club members paid for her to have lessons. She worked on the basic strokes until she mastered them. Her nimbleness and strength were very impressive.
Playing tennis changed Althea’s life. Within a year, after lessons with Fred Johnson, Althea won her first tournament in the New York State Open Championship in 1942. In 1944 and 1945 she won the girls’ singles of the American Tennis Association tournament. It was at this time that Sugar Ray and Edna Robinson, friends that Althea had met before, bought her a saxophone. Music would be an important part of her life.
Not surprisingly, Althea experienced prejudice. Some compared her entry into tennis with Jackie Robinson’s acceptance in professional baseball. In those days segregation existed in many areas. But just as Jackie did, Althea persevered and with the help of others received advanced instruction within the segregated American Tennis Association.
Althea became the first black to win the Grand Slam in Tennis
She became the first African American woman to play in the USTA National Indoor Championship in 1949. One year later she became the first black woman to play in the US Nationals at Forest Hills. Althea continued to break racial barriers with many records during her lifetime by winning eleven Grand Slam tournaments and more than 56 national and international singles and doubles titles by 1958.
In 1946 her friends, the Robinsons, encouraged her to go back to school. Althea realized that an education would help her go further in life. She re-entered high school at age 19. She graduated from Williston Industrial High School in June 1949. Afterward she attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in Tallassee. She concentrated on her studies but found time to play in the marching band. She also played tennis and basketball and worked as a student assistant in the physical education department. This one-time urchin on the streets of Harlem juggled music, classes and tennis practice and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for four years.
After college Althea continued to play tennis in many tournaments over the next few years. She became the first black woman to play lawn tennis at the prestigious Forest Hills. Eventually she received a bid to play at Wimbledon. On her first appearance she lost to Shirley Fry. In 1957 she competed again and became the first black woman to win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.
At age 30, Althea decided to retire making her many fans very sad. One major reason was that in those days there wasn’t much money in tennis. She tried several other careers including singing (appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show) and recording albums. She starred in a movie, The Horse Soldiers (with John Wayne and William Holden), and played golf. It would not be until future generations that there would be enough money in tennis to make a living. But Althea lives on as a legend anyway.
Althea as “Lukey” in Horse Soldiers
She married William A. Darben and was employed by the Essex County, New Jersey, Park Commission for 10 years to head up programs for women’s and girls’ sports activities. She mentored girls through neighborhood and urban tennis clinics. Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.
Sadly, Althea’s later years were ones of struggle even as her childhood had been. She nearly went bankrupt, and her health was poor. She suffered a stroke and had serious heart problems. On September 28, 2003, Althea died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey.
Althea Gibson has been an inspiration to many young tennis players as well as other famous players like Leslie Allen, Zina Garrison, and Venus and Serena Williams who said, “Althea Gibson paved the way for all women of color in sport.”[2]
Serena Williams – “Serena Slam”
I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall. Serena Williams
Serena Williams is one of the most amazing athletes who ever lived. Many believe that she is the greatestathlete who ever lived. In spite of sports injuries and health problems she had multiple comebacks. She has succeeded in many areas including fashion, product endorsements, and philanthropy. Because of her renown and integrity as a person, she has become a role model for girls. And since these posts are about Black Women Firsts, we must note that Serena is a first as a part-owner of a professional football team.
Venus and Serena
Serena was born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981. She learned to play tennis from her father. Her sister, Venus (who is 15 months older than Serena) was also a great player. Everyone enjoyed watching the sisters and many thought that Venus would be the star, but Serena was the first to win the Grand Slam singles title in the 1999 U.S. Open. The sisters teamed up over the years and won many doubles championships.
I can’t possibly list all of Serena’s titles and awards in this short post, but you can find many articles about her on the internet. I will just summarize some of them:
1. At age 20 she was ranked Number One in female tennis.
2. 23 Grand Slam titles, winning her the nickname “Serena Slam”.
3. 14 Grand Slam doubles with her sister, Venus, and 2 other mixed doubles.
4. 4 Summer Olympic Gold medals.
5. 54 World Tennis titles.
6. Seven titles at Wimbledon.
Serena’s father coached both girls in tennis from the time they were very young. He entered her in her first tournament when she was four and a half and she went on to win 46 out of the 49 tournaments she entered over the next 5 years.
Serena and Venus both excelled and by the time they were teens they were getting offers from many companies who asked for their endorsements for their products. The girls concentrated on tennis while attending a small private school. Serena began her first year as a WTA competitor in 1997. She ended the year ranked 99 though she was only sixteen.
Serena Williams
Serena suffered injuries and setbacks like all athletes, but she always came back. Serena was a tough woman. In 2017, the year she achieved her 23rd Grand Slam, she gave birth to a daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. She continues to succeed on and off court. In 2009, Serena and Venus became part owners of the Miami Dolphins becoming the First Black women to be part-owners of a professional football team.
In 2018 Serena launched her own clothing line, called S. In 2019 she added jewelry to her line of products. She has also invested in many new companies as a venture capitalist through her company – Serena Ventures. Serena has won more money than any other female athlete. Even now in 2022 at age 40 Serena is ranked at 41 for women’s singles and 422 for women’s doubles. Pretty impressive!!
Serena Williams is popular not only because she is a great athlete, but because she has an outgoing personality, fashion sense, and she is strikingly good-looking. Serena would have been popular in many fields. Serena now lives with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, Sr. in Florida. She still plays tennis. Some have given her the interesting acronym GOAT – the Greatest of All Time.
[1] Jessie Carney Smith, Editor. Notable Black American Women. “Althea Gibson” (Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. 1992) page 398.
[2] Cheryl Willis Hudson. Brave. Black. First. 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World. (New York: Random House, 2020) page 9.
Black Women in America – Part 15
Black Women in Sports
We have witnessed many changes for Black women over the last four centuries. Life for black American women has taken many turns from slavery to emancipation and from obscurity to world-wide recognition. In spite of obtaining constitutional freedom in the United States, continued racism still affects black women economically, politically, and religiously.
But though racism continues to present challenges to Black women, many have not allowed the prejudice to keep them from making contributions to culture including education, writing and journalism, arts, science, inventions, medicine, sports, entertainment, politics, jurisprudence, air and space, religion and missions, and activism. Even with the obstacles against them, many black women bravely have risen above their circumstances to realize their dreams and make life better for themselves and those around them.
There are so many great Black women; we can only cover the stories of a few. For that reason, we are focusing on “Firsts” in history. We began this series by covering the stories of women who were “Firsts” in Education, including women who earned PhD’s and famous educators. We talked about famous First writers and authors and famous artists. Then we discovered the stories of Black Women Firsts in Science, Inventions, and Medicine.
For the next few weeks, we will honor tremendous Black female athletes. This week let’s look at women who excelled in tennis.
Althea Gibson -Tennis, Golf, and Much More
The loser says it may be possible, but it’s difficult: the winner says it may be difficult, but it’s possible. Althea Gibson
In our series on Black Female Firsts, Althea Gibson shines as a tennis player, musician, golfer, sports commissioner, and mentor to young athletes. Althea was the first black woman to win titles in tennis and she has become one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Althea was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina. Her parents moved to New York when she was very young. She grew up on the streets of Harlem in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. She had three sisters and one brother.
Growing up in Harlem was tough. Althea was often in trouble. She later said, “I liked to play hooky and spend the day in the movies, especially on Fridays, when they had a big show at the Apollo theatre on 125th Street.”[1] Althea was unable to stick to jobs or school. She loitered in the streets playing paddle tennis. A local musician, Buddy Walker, saw her playing in the street and decided to take her to the Harlem River Tennis Club where he was a member to play. Observing Althea’s skill Buddy Walker arranged a match between her and Fred Johnson, a professional. All agreed that she had talent. Club members paid for her to have lessons. She worked on the basic strokes until she mastered them. Her nimbleness and strength were very impressive.
Playing tennis changed Althea’s life. Within a year, after lessons with Fred Johnson, Althea won her first tournament in the New York State Open Championship in 1942. In 1944 and 1945 she won the girls’ singles of the American Tennis Association tournament. It was at this time that Sugar Ray and Edna Robinson, friends that Althea had met before, bought her a saxophone. Music would be an important part of her life.
Not surprisingly, Althea experienced prejudice. Some compared her entry into tennis with Jackie Robinson’s acceptance in professional baseball. In those days segregation existed in many areas. But just as Jackie did, Althea persevered and with the help of others received advanced instruction within the segregated American Tennis Association.
She became the first African American woman to play in the USTA National Indoor Championship in 1949. One year later she became the first black woman to play in the US Nationals at Forest Hills. Althea continued to break racial barriers with many records during her lifetime by winning eleven Grand Slam tournaments and more than 56 national and international singles and doubles titles by 1958.
In 1946 her friends, the Robinsons, encouraged her to go back to school. Althea realized that an education would help her go further in life. She re-entered high school at age 19. She graduated from Williston Industrial High School in June 1949. Afterward she attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in Tallassee. She concentrated on her studies but found time to play in the marching band. She also played tennis and basketball and worked as a student assistant in the physical education department. This one-time urchin on the streets of Harlem juggled music, classes and tennis practice and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for four years.
After college Althea continued to play tennis in many tournaments over the next few years. She became the first black woman to play lawn tennis at the prestigious Forest Hills. Eventually she received a bid to play at Wimbledon. On her first appearance she lost to Shirley Fry. In 1957 she competed again and became the first black woman to win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.
At age 30, Althea decided to retire making her many fans very sad. One major reason was that in those days there wasn’t much money in tennis. She tried several other careers including singing (appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show) and recording albums. She starred in a movie, The Horse Soldiers (with John Wayne and William Holden), and played golf. It would not be until future generations that there would be enough money in tennis to make a living. But Althea lives on as a legend anyway.
She married William A. Darben and was employed by the Essex County, New Jersey, Park Commission for 10 years to head up programs for women’s and girls’ sports activities. She mentored girls through neighborhood and urban tennis clinics. Althea Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.
Sadly, Althea’s later years were ones of struggle even as her childhood had been. She nearly went bankrupt, and her health was poor. She suffered a stroke and had serious heart problems. On September 28, 2003, Althea died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey.
Althea Gibson has been an inspiration to many young tennis players as well as other famous players like Leslie Allen, Zina Garrison, and Venus and Serena Williams who said, “Althea Gibson paved the way for all women of color in sport.”[2]
Serena Williams – “Serena Slam”
I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall. Serena Williams
Serena Williams is one of the most amazing athletes who ever lived. Many believe that she is the greatestathlete who ever lived. In spite of sports injuries and health problems she had multiple comebacks. She has succeeded in many areas including fashion, product endorsements, and philanthropy. Because of her renown and integrity as a person, she has become a role model for girls. And since these posts are about Black Women Firsts, we must note that Serena is a first as a part-owner of a professional football team.
Serena was born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981. She learned to play tennis from her father. Her sister, Venus (who is 15 months older than Serena) was also a great player. Everyone enjoyed watching the sisters and many thought that Venus would be the star, but Serena was the first to win the Grand Slam singles title in the 1999 U.S. Open. The sisters teamed up over the years and won many doubles championships.
I can’t possibly list all of Serena’s titles and awards in this short post, but you can find many articles about her on the internet. I will just summarize some of them:
1. At age 20 she was ranked Number One in female tennis.
2. 23 Grand Slam titles, winning her the nickname “Serena Slam”.
3. 14 Grand Slam doubles with her sister, Venus, and 2 other mixed doubles.
4. 4 Summer Olympic Gold medals.
5. 54 World Tennis titles.
6. Seven titles at Wimbledon.
Serena’s father coached both girls in tennis from the time they were very young. He entered her in her first tournament when she was four and a half and she went on to win 46 out of the 49 tournaments she entered over the next 5 years.
Serena and Venus both excelled and by the time they were teens they were getting offers from many companies who asked for their endorsements for their products. The girls concentrated on tennis while attending a small private school. Serena began her first year as a WTA competitor in 1997. She ended the year ranked 99 though she was only sixteen.
Serena suffered injuries and setbacks like all athletes, but she always came back. Serena was a tough woman. In 2017, the year she achieved her 23rd Grand Slam, she gave birth to a daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. She continues to succeed on and off court. In 2009, Serena and Venus became part owners of the Miami Dolphins becoming the First Black women to be part-owners of a professional football team.
In 2018 Serena launched her own clothing line, called S. In 2019 she added jewelry to her line of products. She has also invested in many new companies as a venture capitalist through her company – Serena Ventures. Serena has won more money than any other female athlete. Even now in 2022 at age 40 Serena is ranked at 41 for women’s singles and 422 for women’s doubles. Pretty impressive!!
Serena Williams is popular not only because she is a great athlete, but because she has an outgoing personality, fashion sense, and she is strikingly good-looking. Serena would have been popular in many fields. Serena now lives with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, Sr. in Florida. She still plays tennis. Some have given her the interesting acronym GOAT – the Greatest of All Time.
[1] Jessie Carney Smith, Editor. Notable Black American Women. “Althea Gibson” (Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc. 1992) page 398.
[2] Cheryl Willis Hudson. Brave. Black. First. 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World. (New York: Random House, 2020) page 9.
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The Holy Spirit just reminded me: Never doubt.
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