Althea gibson biography education connections
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How Althea Gibson Broke the Color Barrier in Tennis
On August 28, 1950, a 23-year-old Althea Gibson set foot on one of the outer courts of the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, home of the U.S. National Championships.
It wasn't the first time a Black player was competing in an event sanctioned by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) — that honor technically went to Reginald Weir at the 1946 Eastern Indoor Tournament.
But it marked the first time a Black player was allowed to compete against the top players in the sport at one of its premier championships, and Gibson was about to show the white tennis world what it had been missing for all these years.
Gibson was introduced to tennis as a troubled but athletic teenager
Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in the small town of Silver, South Carolina, but knew virtually nothing of her father's sharecropping life after moving to New York City's Harlem approximately three years later.
As she confessed
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Althea Gibson
(1927-2003)
Who Was Althea Gibson?
Althea Gibson developed a love of tennis at an early age, but in the 1940s and '50s, most tournaments were closed to African Americans. Gibson kept playing (and winning) until her skills could no longer be denied, and in 1951, she became the first African American to play at Wimbledon. Gibson won the women's singles and doubles at Wimbledon in 1957 and won the U.S. Open in 1958.
Early Life and Career
Althea Neale Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in Silver, South Carolina. Gibson blazed a new trail in the sport of tennis, winning some of the sport's biggest titles in the 1950s, and broke racial barriers in professional golf as well.
At a young age, Gibson moved with her family to Harlem, a neighborhood in the borough of New York City. Gibson's life at this time had its hardships. Her family struggled to make ends meet, living on public assistance for a time, and Gibson struggled in the classroom, often skipping school alto
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Throughout most of the 20th century, tennis fans expected mainly finesse and timidity in the women’s game. But Althea Gibson was an aggressive tennis player who hit powerful groundstrokes and was unafraid to charge the net. Because of Gibson’s race and style of play, critics erroneously accused her of lacking femininity.
Althea Gibson was frequently referred to as the “female Jackie Robinson.” But she was uncomfortable in the role of a civil rights activist. Rather than joining marches and other protests, Gibson was content to use her athletic abilities to break down racial barriers. She was criticized for her decision, but she continued to rely upon her trailblazing athletic feats in tennis and golf as forms of protest.
Williams' Sisters
Venus and Serena Williams have continued Gibson’s tradition of aggressive play. The Williams sisters are among the most dominant women’s tennis players in history. The sisters did not hone their skills at exclusive tennis academies; they l