Althea Gibson

Althea was able to overcome obstacles that many other African Americans faced at a young age in order to make it to where she was. Even from a young age, Althea was forced to overcome roadblocks that many other African Americans faced in order to make it to where she was (Smithsonian, “Leveling”). Seeing these early influences in her life shows that she knew that she would always have to work harder for the things that she wanted. Although, instead of letting this get to her, she made herself aware of the injustice, and persisted to break the racial barrier placed upon this sport. Not only did the sport itself show white dominance, but even the surrounding factors of the experience proved to be difficult solely because of her race. Altercations were made in situations like when she was, “...was not welcome at “whites-only” hotels or clubs when she traveled to tournaments. She stayed instead with friends or friends of friends, or in Black-owned hotels, says Brown” (Smithsonian, “Althea”). Even when she was a famous athlete, white people still pushed her away, and continued to make her feel unwelcome and different from the rest of her tennis-mates. This also shows that no matter how famous or well known someone could be, race was still the prime factor in whether or not they were wanted in places or not. A piece if evidence shows how, “Tennis and golf occupy a different place in the world of sports than football, basketball, and baseball. They connect more closely to social status, wealth, and the exclusivity of country clubs”(Smithsonian, “Leveling”). The barriers of tennis and golf are shown here going to an extremely far extent. If a competitor wasn’t competing in the actual game, then they were at a constant competition of getting a higher social status, or more wealthy. Althea was the exact opposite of this stereotype as she had little money, was an African American, and was not very welcome in the sport. However, she ignored these differences and pushed to be the best of the best.

Althea was one of the first females to show enough bravery to compete worldwide despite the racial standards. Racism was shown towards Gibson in response to her athletic decisions : “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” (Smithsonian, “Leveling”). Althea was more inclined to do what she knew best, sports, in order to create a difference in the world. Instead of becoming immensely involved with things like protests and marches, she relied on her unique talent to change the athletic game for women of all races. This showed a real life demonstration of strength and commitment. Althea was able to use her skills to show how African Americans are just as good, if not better, than all of the white competitors at the time. She showed her dominance by being the first African American to win big-time competitions such as a Grand Slam tennis event. In addition, she was able to capture the singles crown in 1957 at the French Open (Smithsonian, “Leveling”). This evidence highlights her main achievements being an African American woman in tennis. She was able to accomplish being the first African woman to win multiple difficult titles. She was a true trailblazer of the sport and an inspiration to all women around the world. Althea being the incredible up-coming athlete that she was at the time was “a great example showing young African American girls that they too could pursue athletics in a real way and did not have to be held back by the color of their skin”(Health Research Funding, 4). This barrier break allowed for girls going through the same issues as she had to find their way to greatness. Without the true bravery of Gibson, the tennis world would not have been impacted in the same way. Many might believe that she was only recognized as a true contender by the African American community, “But it was the French title—in which she beat Angela Mortimer 6-0, 12-10—that won Gibson international recognition and launched her to even greater success” (Smithsonian, “Althea”). This shows the moment where her career took a turn for the best. After this match, her name and story became known and she finally got the recognition she deserved. This amount of recognition was a very rare occurrence due to her differences, but was nonetheless well deserved.