Biography on althea gibson
Althea gibson family.
Althea Gibson Biography
Born: August 25, 1927
Silver, South Carolina
African American tennis player
Althea Gibson is noted not only for her exceptional abilities as a tennis player, but for breaking the color barrier in the 1950s as the first African American to compete in national and international tennis.
Biography on althea gibson
Childhood in Harlem
Althea Gibson was born in Silver, South Carolina, on August 25, 1927. She was the first of Daniel and Anna Washington Gibson's five children. Her parents worked on a cotton farm, but when she was three years old the family moved north to the Harlem area of New York City.
Gibson caused a lot of problems as a child and often missed school. Her father was very strict with her on these occasions, but he also taught her to box, a skill that he figured would come in handy in the rough neighborhood the Gibson family lived in.
Tennis success
When Gibson was ten years old, she became involved with the Police Athletic League (PAL)