Wonder Woman of the Week: Althea Gibson
This week's Wonder Woman was a ground breaker in sports who paved the paths for women and people of color to advance in the sport of tennis. Althea Gibson was born in 1927 in South Carolina at the height of Jim Crow. Battling segregation and deeply entrenched racism, Gibson and her family moved to Harlem in New York during the Great Depression. It was there that Gibson began playing recreational tennis. Tennis was largely a sport for white men and boys- making it difficult for the young African-American girl to advance her skills, Gibson managed to win her first American Tennis Association match in 1941 and attracted national attention for her skill.
Althea Gibson's 1941 win garnered the attention of Walter Johnson- at the time a household name among African-American tennis players. Johnson began coaching Gibson and helped her advance her skills even further. In 1949, Gibson became the first black woman and second black athlete to compete in the USTA national indoor championships where she reached the semifinals. Gibson's continued success launched an amateur career in tennis throughout most of the 1950's including competing in the Grand Slam Tour. In 1955, Gibson went on tour with the US State Department as a goodwill ambassador in South and Southeast Asia where she brought hope and inspiration to women who saw her as a heroine for women of color. In 1957, Johnson won at Wimbledon and became the number one seed in international women's tennis.
Following success in tennis, Gibson dabbled in the music industry as a saxophonist and competed in golf in the LPGA- but even international fame and immeasurable talent did not solve issues of racism in the United States. Most country clubs in the US in both the north and south banned Gibson from competing on their golf courses because of her race, and- when they allowed her to play- they forced her to dress in her car because they wouldn't allow her in their clubhouses. Nevertheless, Gibson still excelled in the sport as the first African-American woman on the tour. Gibson suffered several medical emergencies in the 1980's and 90's including a stroke and a heartache, and eventually died in 2003 from medical complications. Gibson is remembered today however as one of the greatest athletes in the history of tennis, golf, and American athletics; and continues to inspire women and people of color in sports worldwide.
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