#althea gibson

[thewomanwhoreads]

Neighbourhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Althea Gibson, U.S. and Wimbledon tennis champion and the first African-American to win these tournaments, gives some pointers on the game to students attending a tennis clinic at Midwood High School in Brooklyn, 1957.

Photo: Ed Ford via Fine Art America

[destinyc1020]

I love the fashion tribute to Althea Gibson 🥰

[readyforevolution]

[purplecatruins]

Zendaya in Monaco at a photocall in custom On. The look is a tribute to tennis star Althea Gibson. Such a classic and timeless look!

Althea Gibson was a Black tennis star in the US - she won the Grand Slam title 11 times, she was also the first Black tennis pro to win at the US Open, French Open and at Wimbledon! She ended her professional tennis career in 1958. From 1964 on, she took part at pro Golf tournaments!

Such a good tribute, considering that when Gibson played she wasn't allowed to use the same locker rooms to change as the other players in the golf clubs because of segregation and structural racism! By AP she was selected as Female Athlete of the Year (1957 and 1958) and graced the cover of Time.

[womeninfictionandirl]

Althea Gibson by Allison Adams

Althea Gibson (1927 – 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer. She became the first black athlete to break through the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first person of color to win a Gram Slam title. The following year, she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals, and won both again the following year. In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments, including six doubles titles, In the early 1960s she also became the first black player to compete on the women’s professional golf tour.

At a time when racism and prejudice were widespread in sports and in society, it was enormously difficult to play in professional sports if you were black, let alone a woman, but she made history by competing not only in tennis but in the golf circuit as well. “I am honored to have followed in such great footsteps,” wrote Venus Williams, “Her accomplishments set the stage for my success, and through players like myself and Serena and many others to come, her legacy will live on.”

[citizenscreen]

John Wayne, William Holden, Althea Gibson and Constance Towers on set of John Ford’s THE HORSE SOLDIERS (1959).

[blackjewels5]

On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson claims the women’s singles tennis title at Wimbledon and becomes the first Black person to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Arthur Ashe was the first Black man to do so in 1975.

[usnatarchives]

#OTD 1957: Althea Gibson Wins Wimbledon! 1st Black Tennis Player to win a Grand Slam!

By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs

NARA ID 58260. “From 143rd Street in Harlem to the center court in Wimbledon is about as far as one can travel.” —Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson, daughter of South Carolina sharecroppers, grew up in Harlem and became a champion of the very segregated sport of tennis. Gibson was the first Black tennis player to compete and win at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (Arthur Ashe was the 1st Black man to win at Wimbledon when he defeated Jimmy Connors 8 years later, in 1975). Eventually, she would play—and beat—all other top women’s tennis players worldwide, while shattering class and racial barriers!

Gibson, L, on the Wheaties box in 2001. Serena Williams, R, in 2019.

"In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box. Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box. Today, I am honored to be the second. I have dreamt of this since I was a young woman and it’s an honor to join the ranks of some of America’s most decorated athletes. I hope my image on this iconic orange box will inspire the next generation of girls and athletes to dream big.” —Serena Williams

COMING SOON: ALL AMERICAN - THE POWER OF SPORTS

National Archives Museum in DC, 9/16/2022 - 1/7/2024 Exhibit includes Gibson's 1956 Wimbledon trophy! (on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History)

Related Document Display: The Patsy Mink Act and Title IX Through 9/7/2022, National Archives Museum in DC More online!

Althea Gibson Wins the US Nat'l Championships, DocsTeach

Celebrate the 50th of Title IX with Archival Footage of Sporting Legends, The Unwritten Record

Celebrate Title IX's 50th! National Archives Tumblr

[alleannaharris]

Today's Black History Month illustration is of Althea Gibson. She became the first Black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis and golf. (She has a TON of records, so here it goes!)

Gibson was born in 1927 on a cotton farm in South Carolina, but her family moved to Harlem in 1930. While growing up in NYC, she played paddle tennis under the supervision of the New York Police Athletic League. She became so good at paddle tennis that by the age of twelve, she won the NYC women’s paddle tennis championship.

In 1940, a group of Gibson’s neighbors put money together to pay for her junior membership at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club in Harlem. A year later, she won her first tournament, the American Tennis Association’s NY State Championship, founded by Black tennis players. She won the ATA national championship in 1944 & 1945. In 1947, she won the ATA’s women’s singles championship, which she continued to win for 10 consecutive years.

Her success drew the attention of Dr. Walter Johnson, a Black physician from Virginia who was also an avid tennis player. He mentored her and helped her enter into competitions with the US Tennis Association (USTA). In 1949, she became the first Black woman and second Black athlete to play in the USTA’s National Indoor Championship. After that, she received a full athletic scholarship at Florida A&M.

In 1950, Gibson became the first Black to compete in the US Open at Forest Hills in Queens, NY. In 1956, she became the first African American to win the French Open. In 1957, she won Wimbledon, and received the trophy personally from Queen Elizabeth. She won the doubles championship as well and when she returned to NYC, she became the second athlete (after Jesse Owens) to receive a ticker tape parade.

In late 1958, after winning 56 national and international singles and doubles titles including 11 Grand Slam championships, she retired from amateur tennis at the age of 31. In 1964, at the age of 37, she became the first Black woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. Her best tournament finish was a tie for second place at the 1970 Buick Open.

Overall, Althea Gibson is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players in history and paved the way for players like Venus and Serena Williams.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another illustration and story!

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Mayor Wagner feted Harlem's own Althea Gibson after she won the U.S. Open's Women's Singles title in Forest Hills, September 8, 1957. She had already won at Wimbledon, and was the first Black player to win a major championship (let alone two).

Photo: Harry Harris for the AP

[cozyaliensuperstar7]

Zendaya 🎾

sage.fashionn:

Zendaya wore a custom Vera Wang gown for the Challengers LA premiere, styled by her longtime stylist Law Roach, the genius behind Zendaya’s iconic looks. They opted for a departure from her usual tennis-inspired concepts, choosing a custom black and pale pink lingerie-inspired ball gown featuring a hand-pieced lace bustier, accented by silk satin garter details, and a split-away skirt revealing a bi-color Italian tulle petticoat.

#zendaya #challengersmovie #fashion #lawroach #verawang #fashionnews

wta:

“I’m about to find her 🤩!”

@zendaya reacts to @venuswilliams in the house at the LA premiere of @challengersmovie 🎬#ChallengersMovie #Zendaya

fashionbombdaily:

@zendaya continued her @challengersmovie promo in #Monaco wearing a look by @brunellocucinelli_brand , styled by @luxurylaw . Hot! Or Hmm..?

📸 Getty #zendaya #zendayafbd #brunellocucinelli

fashionbombdaily:

#Zendaya wore a custom @on look (styled by @luxurylaw) inspired by the outfits worn by #AltheaGibson, the first Black person to win the French, Wimbledon, and U.S. singles titles. Thoughts? 📸 IG/Reproduction #zendayafbd

[topoet]

Stafford’s Zipper

By Squirrel Nut Zippers I have stand-alone cd Hot (1996). They were a retro swing band with a big band sound and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.I picked it up 2nd hand at a now-gone lp/book store that used to be around the corner from me. Great fun & sexy. In an mp3 collection I have Jo Stafford’s The Ultimate. Stafford is a classic jazz vocalist with clear emotive voice & every song os a strandard,…

[birdbathcabal]

[afrotumble]