Althea

In the 1950s, Althea Gibson shattered racial barriers, becoming the first woman of color to score victories in the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (forerunner of the U.S. Open). Co-executive produced by Billie Jean King and actor John Amos, filmmaker Rex Miller's wonderful documentary, aired on PBS's American Masters series, traces Gibson's odyssey from being the daughter of South Carolina sharecroppers, to being a teenage Harlem tennis champion in the 1940s, to becoming the woman who integrated the lily-white higher echelon of the prestigious tennis tournaments. By 1957, her athletic prowess earned her international acclaim, and she broke media barriers as the first African-American woman to appear on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time. Even Hollywood called, albeit for a minor role as a maid in the 1959 John Wayne epic The Horse Soldiers. But since major tennis tournaments were still limited to amateurs only, Gibson's fame did not translate into fortune. After a brief attempt to gain a niche as a vocalist, she joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association, but she was barred from entering many country clubs (or forced to dress in their parking lots). She also briefly dabbled in politics and held positions in New Jersey's state government, but never gained an elected office. Poor health and financial problems plagued her in later years, and it was not until after her death in 2003 that the depth and scope of her legacy was fully appreciated. This well-researched, engrossing celebration of an important figure in both American sports and the struggle for racial equality is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)