[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2047]]
        HONORING THE CONTRIBUTION OF BLACK PIONEER ALTHEA GIBSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a story from the 
New York CARIB News of September 18, 2007 entitled, ``Black Pioneer 
Althea Gibson''.
  This article highlights the accomplishments of Althea Gibson, the 
admirable tennis player who in spite of adversity reached great 
success, leaving a great legacy to the sport. Ms. Gibson became the 
first African American-male or female- to win the US. National 
Championships, which until then was a segregated tournament and she 
made history by not only breaking the color barriers but by winning the 
Grand Slam.
  Ms. Gibson continued to leave her mark in tennis by winning the 1956 
French Open, again, becoming the first black woman to win the Grand 
Slam event. Following those enormous achievements she continued to 
excel in important international tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon 
and the US. Championships.
  In recognition of her incredible contribution to the sport of tennis 
and to society, the U.S. Tennis Association hosted a tribute to her 
life at the US. Open in New York in late August. The champion died in 
2003 but continues to be admired and to be an inspiration to women 
throughout the world.
  I applaud Ms. Althea Gibson for her great contribution to the sport 
of tennis and for the undeniable strength she endured to excel in a 
time when she was denied opportunity because of the color of her skin.

                      Black Pioneer Althea Gibson

                          (By Roy S. Johnson)

       Fifty years ago, in the late summer of 1957, Althea Gibson 
     made history as she captured the U.S. National Championships 
     title on the grass courts of Forest Hills. With that win, the 
     30-year-old Gibson became the first African American--male or 
     female--to win that most prestigious Grand Slam tennis 
     tournament crown.
       Just three years after the great Jackie Robinson had broken 
     the color barrier in baseball, Gibson broke tennis' color 
     barrier when she played in the 1950 U.S. Championships. Until 
     then, tennis had been a segregated sport, with Blacks playing 
     on their own tour--similar to the Negro Baseball Leagues--
     under the auspices of the American Tennis Association. Her 
     participation at Forest Hills that year was facilitated, in 
     part, by Alice Marble, one of the top players of that era, 
     who wrote an editorial in a national magazine calling for the 
     sport to allow her to compete.
       That she did. Tall and lean, Gibson's look and her game 
     resembled that of the elder Williams sister.
       ``Very graceful, very smooth,'' says former tennis star, 
     now U.S. Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison, who befriended Gibson 
     in the legend's later years and became a confidante. ``She 
     glided around the court. When you look at Venus [Williams], 
     Althea was very much like her.''
       Six years after her Grand Slam debut, well before the tide 
     of civil rights began to rise throughout America, Gibson made 
     history once again--this time in magnificent fashion--by 
     winning the 1956 French Open to become the first Black to win 
     a Grand Slam event. The next year, she won Wimbledon and the 
     U.S. Championships, then successfully defended both titles 
     the following year. Gibson teamed with Angela Buxton, a 
     Jewish player from Briton, to win the 1956 doubles 
     championships at the French and Wimbledon. Both women 
     experienced discrimination by their fellow players, but after 
     their triumph at the All-England tennis club, a British 
     newspaper touted: ``Minorities win.''
       All told, Gibson, the daughter of South Carolina 
     sharecroppers, won five Grand Slam singles titles and six 
     Grand Slam doubles crowns, but her impact on tennis--and 
     society--cannot be measured in mere trophy counts. She was a 
     trailblazer of remarkable heart and courage, marking a path 
     for those who would follow her, carrying herself with that 
     special grace and dignity known only to true champions.
       ``Althea made tennis a better place, by opening doors and 
     opening minds,'' said USTA president and chairman Jane Brown 
     Grimes. ``For that, all of us owe Althea Gibson a debt of 
     gratitude.''
       In recognition of Gibson's myriad contributions to the 
     sport of tennis and to society at large, the U.S. Tennis 
     Association this year hosted a very special tribute to the 
     late champion, who passed away in 2003 following a long 
     illness. On an extraordinary evening of history and emotion, 
     African-American women who are pioneers in their own fields, 
     and the elite from the world of tennis, gathered to honor and 
     celebrate one of their own. Call her tennis's own Jackie 
     Robinson.
       The event, entitled ``Breaking Barriers,'' was held on the 
     opening night, Aug. 27 of the 2007 U.S. Open at the USTA 
     Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY. It 
     commemorated the 50th anniversary of Gibson's pioneering 
     triumph at the 1957 U.S. National Championships (now known as 
     the U.S. Open), and also provided a stage for Gibson's 
     induction into the prestigious U.S. Open Court of Champions. 
     But the evening proved to be so much more--an acknowledgement 
     of the over- sight of having never before recognized Gibson 
     as a barrier-breaking pioneer, and a unique first-time 
     celebration of the historic firsts achieved by other 
     prominent African-American women.
       Nearly two dozen Black women pioneers attended the tribute, 
     including Olympians Jackie Joyner-Kersee (first Black to win 
     back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the Heptathlon) and Dr. 
     Debi Thomas (first Black Winter Olympics medal winner), 
     astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison (the first Black female astronaut), 
     gospel singer Yolanda Adams (first Black female to win the 
     Contemporary/Inspirational Artist award at American Music 
     Awards) and Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun (first Black 
     female U.S. Senator).
       Billie Jean King, whose own pioneering efforts on behalf of 
     female athletes were celebrated at this venue last year, was 
     part of the tribute, as was New York City Mayor Michael 
     Bloomberg and Rachel Robinson. Jackie Robinson's widow. 
     Aretha Franklin, the first Black woman inducted into the Rock 
     & Roll Hall of Fame, performed at the tribute.
       Other trailblazing Black women attending were former poet 
     laureate Nikki Giovanni (the first Black woman to receive the 
     Rosa Parks Woman of Courage award), former Washington, D.C., 
     mayor Sharon Pratt (first to be elected mayor of a major U.S. 
     city), actress Phylicia Rashad (first to win a Tony for best 
     performance in a play), Essence chairwoman Susan L. Taylor 
     (first recipient of the Henry Johnson Fisher award), and 
     businesswoman Sheila Crump Johnson (first to have a stake in 
     three professional sports franchises).
       ``Althea Gibson dreamed the impossible and made it 
     possible,'' said Johnson, who was a BET founder. ``She was 
     one of the first African-American women in sports to say, 
     `Why not me?' She empowered generations [of Black women] to 
     believe in themselves, emboldened us to achieve and attain 
     the unattainable. Her drive, spirit and passion continue to 
     set an example for us today.''
       ``I will always be grateful to her for having the strength 
     and the courage to triumph in extreme adversity,'' said Venus 
     Williams, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, who also 
     participated in the tribute. ``Her accomplishments set the 
     stage for my success, and through players like me, Serena and 
     many others to come, her legacy will live on.''

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