Photo by New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Palumbo, Fred, photographer. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

• TENNIS PLAYER
• FIRST Black athlete to become a tennis champion
• Won 11 Grand Slam titles in singles
• Won six major titles in doubles
• Ranked #1 female tennis player in the world
• ​Also FIRST Black athlete to:
  • play at the exclusive Forest Hills club
  • play (and win) at Wimbledon
  • win the French Open
  • win the U.S. Open
  • win a Grand Slam
  • be named FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR by the Associated Press (two years in a row, btw)
  • enter the Ladies Professional Golf Association
• Wrote an autobiography, recorded a vocal album, and appeared in multiple movies
• Held positions in state government, including New Jersey State Commissioner of Athletics, on the Athletics Control Board, and the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness
• There was no prize money for women's tennis at the time, so most professionals made a living through endorsements; because Gibson was Black, no brands would sign her on as a spokesperson, so she made almost no money in the sport and died in near poverty

Bibliography: Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Print.
Kurimay, Anita. "Gibson, Althea." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 2, Oxford University Press, 2008, 378-379.

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You Can't Win If You Don't... Fail?

How we deal with failure is what separates the Awesome from the average. Gibson accomplished a lot, but only because she never gave up. Here's a timeline created by the AWL Librarian with some of Gibson's major successes and -- equally as important -- MAJOR FAILURES: (don't miss Summer 1954 -- that had to hurt!)

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