Althea Gibson paved the way for Black athletes
When thinking of tennis stars, the first names that most likely come to mind are Serena and Venus Williams. While they are well established, they are not the first female tennis players to make strides in sports for the Black community.
Althea Neale Gibson was born Aug. 29, 1927, to parents Annie Bell Gibson and Daniel Gibson. Gibson was born in Silver, S.C., but moved to Harlem, New York at a young age. Although she endured hardships growing up, one thing that she always found peace in was her love for sports, tennis especially.
It only took one year after Gibson picked up her first racket, she won local tournaments sponsored by the American Tennis Association (ATA). At 17 years old Gibson had over two ATA titles added to her list of accomplishments.
Even though she lost one title in 1946, she did not let that slow down her vision. In 1949, Gibson was offered a scholarship to play for Florida A&M University. Moving to the South gave Gibson opportunities to play tennis in a more diverse setting which she was not accustomed to living in New York.
Her experience at FAMU was trying at times. At one point she even contemplated quitting sports and leaving school to join the military. But after speaking with a mentor she decided to be the best player she could be.
She did not just play tennis, but she played golf and dabbled in the pool. She ended up pledging Alpha Kappa Alpha in the Beta Alpha undergraduate chapter and she also modeled. Gibson graduated in the spring of 1953 and went back to play in the American Tennis Association, which was tailored toward Black players.
After Jackie Robinson shocked the world by being the first Black man to make it into major league baseball in 1947, Gibson saw that it wasn’t impossible to be that same movement for her sport.
In 1950, Gibson was the first African American to play in the National Tennis Championship and would go on to be the first Black woman invited to play Wimbledon. She was the first Black woman to win what is now called a Grand Slam tournament.
“I want the public to remember me as they knew me: athletic, smart, and healthy… Remember me strong and tough and quick, fleet of foot and tenacious,” Gibson told the National Women History Museum.
Gibson had a groundbreaking career, winning 56 singles and doubles titles. She won 11 major titles, three of which came in the doubles category at the French Open between 1956 and 1958. Gibson’s accomplishments are showcased on the first floor of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum at Florida A&M University.