Althea Gibson

by Sarah E

This stamp commemorates Althea Gibson. She was born in 1927 in Silver, NC . Very few blacks were seen as good tennis players . Then came Althea Gibson. People thought that blacks shouldn't play tennis. Althea thought anything was possible. She was working very hard. She grew up in New York City. There weren't many tennis courts in her neighborhood. She wanted to play tennis a lot. Soon she became the first black tennis player to win major titles in tennis. She won the championship at Wimbledon, England and at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills, New York in 1957 and 1958. Althea became an inspiration to others. She became an national star.