gibson, althea

Tells the story of the life and career of Althea Gibson, the first Black woman to be ranked as the number one tennis player in the world.

Based on extensive archival work and oral histories, Serving Herself sets Gibson's life and choices against the backdrop of the Great Migration, Jim Crow racism, the integration of American sports, the civil rights movement, the Cold War, and second wave feminism. Throughout her life Gibson continuously negotiated the expectations of her supporters and adversaries, including her patrons in the black-led American Tennis Association, the white-led United States Lawn Tennis Association, and the media, particularly the Black press and community's expectations that she selflessly serve as a representative of her race. An incredibly talented, ultra-competitive, and not always likeable athlete, Gibson wanted to be treated as an individual first and foremost, not as a member of a specific race or gender. She was reluctant to speak openly about the indignities and prejudices she navigated as an African American woman, though she faced numerous institutional and societal barriers in achieving her goals. She frequently bucked conventional norms of femininity and put her career ahead of romantic relationships, making her personal life the subject of constant scrutiny and rumors. Despite her major wins and international recognition, including a ticker tape parade in New York City and the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time, Gibson endeavored to find commercial sponsorship and permanent economic stability. Committed to self-sufficiency, she pivoted from the elite amateur tennis circuit to State Department-sponsored goodwill tours, attempts to find success as a singer and Hollywood actress, the professional golf circuit, a tour with the Harlem Globetrotters and her own professional tennis tour, coaching, teaching children at tennis clinics, and a stint as New Jersey Athletics Commissioner. As she struggled to support herself in old age, she was left with disappointment, recounting her past achievements decades before female tennis players were able to garner substantial earnings.

An illustrated biography of the life and achievements of African-American tennis player Althea Gibson.

Tells the life story of Althea Gibson, the first black tennis player to win at Wimbledon, the French Open, and the U.S. Open.

Follows the life of the first black woman to win the tennis competition at Wimbledon.

"Barriers have existed to deny people the chance to compete athletically based on their race, ethnic background, or sex. Some athletes, through their courage and class, have broken down the barriers that have afflicted our society, and sometimes affected greater social change. Althea Gibson integrated tennis competition at its highest levels, and Arthur Ashe used his success to challenge racism and apartheid, and later to raise AIDS awareness"--Amazon.com.

Profiles the life and career of the two-time Wimbledon champion who paved the way for African-American women in professional sports.

Explores the life and achievements of Althea Gibson, the first African-American woman to win the Wimbledon Cup.

Presents the authorized biography of Althea Gibson, the first African American to compete in tournament tennis examining her childhood in Harlem, champion of the all-black American Tennis Association, 1950 debut at Forest Hills, and victor at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1957 and 1958.

Follows the life of the first black woman to win the tennis competition at Wimbledon.