06/07/2023
Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003.)
On July 6, 1957, claims the women’s singles tennis title at and becomes the first African American to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Gibson retired after winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1958, having earned 56 titles that decade alone.
Gibson not only won the title on July 6, 1957, she was the first African American (male or female) to do so. The Wimbledon title was just the beginning of a long line of Gibson "firsts."
Gibson was thirteen years old when she took her first tennis lesson, and one year later, she won her first tournament. Gibson was a great athlete. She was the first African American to compete for the U.S. Nationals. She won many U.S. and international titles, but Althea Gibson had something much tougher than tennis tournaments to face.
Throughout her career, Gibson struggled against segregation, the practice of separating blacks from whites. Imagine winning a tournament and then not being allowed into the same hotel or restaurant as the other players. It might make you want to quit playing tennis, but Althea Gibson never gave up. She became the first black woman to be named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press--twice. All those Gibson "firsts" helped pave the way for future champions like Venus and Serena Williams...
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/althea-gibson-is-first-african-american-to-win-wimbledon
