[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 167 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11480-H11481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT ALTHEA GIBSON BE RECOGNIZED FOR HER
GROUNDBREAKING ACHIEVEMENTS IN ATHLETICS AND HER COMMITMENT TO ENDING
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE WITHIN THE WORLD OF SPORTS
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 69) expressing the sense of
Congress that Althea Gibson should be recognized for her ground
breaking achievements in athletics and her commitment to ending racial
discrimination and prejudice within the world of sports.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 69
Whereas Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, and
lived with her family in Harlem during the 1930's and 1940's;
Whereas Althea Gibson was first introduced to tennis on the
Harlem River Tennis Courts and went on to dominate the all-
black American Tennis Association tournaments throughout the
early 1940's, when racism and segregation prevented her from
participating in tournaments sponsored by the American Lawn
Tennis Association;
Whereas Althea Gibson graduated from Florida A&M University
in 1953, and was an athletic instructor at the Lincoln
University in Jefferson City, Missouri;
Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American
player, either male or female, to be allowed to enter the
Forrest Hills, New York, Championship in 1950, after her
talents and celebrity forced the American Lawn Tennis
Association to reevaluate its policy;
Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American
invited to Wimbledon in 1951, eventually winning both the
women's singles and doubles in 1957, after which she was
greeted by New York City with a ticker tape parade;
Whereas Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman
to win the championship at the French Open, in 1956;
Whereas Althea Gibson after finishing her amateur tennis
career became a professional golfer in 1959 and won the
women's tennis professional singles in 1960;
Whereas Althea Gibson was Athletic Commissioner for the
State of New Jersey from 1975 to 1977; and
Whereas Althea Gibson was inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971, and to the International Women's
Sports Hall of Fame in 1980: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that Althea
Gibson should be recognized for her ground breaking athletic
achievements and for continuing to serve as a role model for
the Nation's youth.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks on H. Con. Res. 69, the concurrent resolution now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 69 celebrates the remarkable
life of Althea Gibson. She was the first African American player to
compete at Wimbledon and the U.S. championships. She ultimately won
both titles in 1957 and 1958, becoming the first African American to
win both tournaments.
Mr. Speaker, more important than her victories has been her presence
at these tournaments at which black players had never before competed.
She is rightfully known as the ``Jackie Robinson of women's tennis,''
and her courage has had the same incredible impact on her sport that
Jackie Robinson had on baseball.
As a young woman, she won 10 straight of the all-black American
Tennis Association tournaments beginning in 1948. Her success led her
to become quite a celebrity, and the public pressure finally forced the
all-white American Lawn Tennis Association to invite her to compete at
the U.S. championships in 1950. By the next year, in 1951, Wimbledon
invited her to play. Well, not only did she play, Mr. Speaker, but she
won both tournaments in 1957, and she won both again the next year. Her
skill on the court and her class off the court during this difficult
period in American history paved the way for future stars like Serena
Williams, Venus Williams, James Blake, Zina Garrison, Arthur Ashe, and
others to excel playing the game they love.
Mr. Speaker, this is truly a worthwhile resolution, and I commend the
gentleman from New York for working with the Committee on Government
Reform for bringing this resolution to the floor. I hope this
resolution serves to honor Althea Gibson, for, as the resolution
states, her groundbreaking athletic achievements, and for continuing to
serve as a role model for the Nation's youth. Althea Gibson's athletic
career and her courageous personality are vital threads in the fabric
of our Nation's history, and I am pleased that the House is acting on
this resolution that pays tribute to her tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, Althea Gibson overcame unbelievable odds to achieve
international acclaim and success. Her journey from Harlem to Wimbledon
reveals her strength of character and her
[[Page H11481]]
remarkable composure in the face of racial prejudice. She built the
foundation on which Venus and Serena Williams and Tiger Woods now
stand.
The life of Althea Gibson is much more than a story about a
successful tennis champion. It is a story about education, opportunity,
hope, perseverance, and the responsibility we all have for helping
those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in the small town of
Silver, South Carolina. Her family moved to Harlem in New York City
when she was 3. Her family was on welfare. She was a client of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She had trouble in
school and was often truant. She ran away from home frequently.
Tennis, which first came to the United States in the late 19th
century, by the middle of the 20th Century had become part of a culture
of health and fitness. Public programs brought tennis to children in
poor neighborhoods, though those children could not dream of playing in
the elite tennis clubs.
Althea played paddle tennis in public recreation programs and became
quite proficient. Musician Buddy Walker noticed her playing table
tennis and took her to the Harlem River Tennis Courts, where she
learned the game and excelled. By 1942, Gibson had won the girls'
singles event at the American Tennis Association's New York State
tournament, an all-black organization. She won again in 1944 and 1945.
In 1946, two tennis-playing doctors who were active in the black
tennis community, Hubert Eaton of North Carolina and Robert Johnson of
Virginia, took in Althea Gibson, Eaton during the school year and
Johnson during the summer. Gibson, who had dropped out of high school,
was made to finish high school and eventually graduated from Florida
A&M University in 1953.
In 1950, when Gibson was 23 years old, she was permitted to play at
the U.S. Nationals, becoming the first black to compete in the
tournament. In 1956, Althea Gibson made history by becoming the first
black person to win the French championships. The next year she made
history by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the first black to
win either. Althea won six out of a total of 11 Grand Slam events,
including six doubles titles, on her way to the International Tennis
Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
Althea Gibson is quoted as saying, ``I always wanted to be somebody.
If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of
punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people
who cared enough to help me.''
Though Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters have met their own
challenges, Althea Gibson was the first black person of either sex to
break the color barrier in national and international tournament tennis
at a time when prejudice and racism were far more pervasive in society
and in sports. Althea Gibson was not only somebody, she was someone
special.
So we celebrate the life of Althea Gibson by ensuring that our
policies and laws lift up and assist the less fortunate among us so
that they too may fulfill their dreams and their potential as Althea
Gibson did. I commend the gentleman from New York for introducing this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 69.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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