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60 Years Ago, First African-American Woman – the Daughter of Sharecroppers – Wins Wimbledon

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Black Women in Sports

60 Years Ago, First African-American Woman – the Daughter of Sharecroppers – Wins Wimbledon

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Sixty years ago today, July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson showed the world she was an athlete to contend with, breaking America’s race barrier as the first black woman to win the women’s singles tennis title at Wimbledon, defeating Darlene Hard, 6-3, 6-2.

Born the daughter of sharecroppers in 1927 in South Carolina, and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Gibson’s athletic power would emerge during her teen years, when she twice won the national black women’s tennis championship.

At 5’11,’ Gibson was all muscle and grace. And, according to those who have closely watched her career, Gibson could be quite intimidating on court.

But in 1956, America was racially segregated, and women athletes, even the most elite, took a back seat to men.

Arthur Ashe is often cited as the first black American to win Wimbledon; he did win, but his victory came 17 years later in 1975.

No societal barrier or bias seemed to stop Gibson. In 1950, she made her U.S. Open debut, and six years later, her tennis career shifted into high gear with her singles’ win at the French Open, the first African American to do so, along with the doubles’ title there.

Gibson’s professional achievements continued in 1957, when she won the U.S. Nationals, later to become the U.S. Open.

She won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals again in 1958, claimed her third consecutive doubles championship at Wimbledon, and the Associated Press ..,

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I am a future butterfly at the stage of growth when I am turning into an adult. I am enclosed in a hard case shell formed by love, family, and friends. It is the hardest stage of becoming a black butterfly. You will encounter many hardships only to come out stronger and better than what you went in. At this stage, you are finding out who you truly are and how to love yourself.

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