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In this segment from “Althea Gibson: A Documentary,” Gibson is praised for becoming the first black woman to win the U.S. Open Women’s Singles Championship and Wimbledon in 1957. Fellow tennis players, such as Dr. Harold Freeman, discuss how Gibson’s triumphs were exceptional because tennis was previously offered exclusively to wealthy white people. Billie Jean King, another tennis player, explains how Gibson had to deal with the harsh racial climate of the ’50s and yet it did not affect her athletic prowess on the court. Gibson’s accomplishments broke boundaries for black athletes, and she became a symbol for the civil rights movements.
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