Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer
Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer shows the dedication and drive that women had to have in order to be successful at sports in the twentieth contrary. Billie Jean King who came from a very athletic family first got her inspiration to succeed at sports from the athletic sermons she herd in church every Sunday as a young child. One of her friends was starting to play tenses and she wanted to start also. After working around the neighborhood to earn the money for her first racket, Billie Jean King overcame many obstacles along with great personal struggles to become the best professional tennis player of her time.
One of the biggest things that she pushed for in her career was equal pay for men and women in sports. This was a struggle for her as she had trouble paying for her tennis. In the early days of her playing she was not allowed in the picture of her first tennis club because she was not wearing the proper tennis skirt, but instead had on shorts. Her family did not have a lot of extra money to put into her expensive tennis career and it was hard for them to afford the elitists sport. She along with other women had to stand up and risk being band from the tennis league when they signed one dollar contracts with the Virginia Slims to bring attention to the struggle for equal play. It became apparent to Billy even from the young age that she was when she was not allowed in the picture because of her attire that women where not
To auspicate, Althea Gibson and Barbara C. Jordan were two African American women that were brave enough to surpass their odds and do what many other thought they couldn't. Both of these woman were African American which meant that they both weren't able to do things the whites could have done easily. Althea Gibson was the first African American woman to play tennis at a high level. Barbara C. Jordan was the first African American woman to be elected to the
Althea Gibson played the sport tennis and she Is the one who made the game tennis. They both wanted to be something In life. Barbara Jordan wanted to be a professor. When Althea was a child, she struggle and she loved to play sports. Althea was Inducted Into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971, later she served as and Commissioner of Athletics for the state of New Jersey. Jordan she had suffered from multiple sclerosis since 1973 and she was In a wheelchair bound by the time she was Invited to give her second Democratic Convention Keynote Address In 1992. Also they both achieve something that they wanted In life so If they can do It you can do
Dorothy Dandridge may seem to be like a beautiful and strong African American woman on the outside, but on the inside she held in a lot of pain. Dorothy Dandridge is an actress, singer, and entertainer, who no longer walk this green Earth, but when she did, she made history. Dorothy was the first African American actress to achieve a leading-role status. Dorothy also had a deeply troubled life and racism didn’t make her life any easier especially when it came to achieving her dreams, but she got through it and during her time, the early 1930’s through the 1960’s, that was saying something. Racism was a lot worse then what it is now, but it made it harder for African Americans to achieve their goals, especially African American women. Dorothy was very worth looking up to now and when she was alive. Dorothy Dandridge is a contribution to African American history because she was the first African American woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress, how she fought all odds against her, mainly racism, and she made it possible to for other African American women to follow in her footsteps and look up to her as a role model.
in her lifetime which helped her develop into a strong woman. She aspired to challenge
Althea Gibson was an African American woman born August 25, 1957 in Silver, North Carolina. She attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical School and later Lincoln University as an athletic instructor. In her early life she moved to Harlem, New York, New York because of the Great Depression. She was also increased in basketball and paddle tennis. She quickly became good at tennis and people stared o notice, so Robert Walter Johnson coached, mentored, and sponsored her. She went on to win 11 Grand Slam titles, cementing her legacy, was the first black woman to play professional tennis, and on top of that she broke he racial barrier in tennis. She also played tennis, played he saxophone, and wrote an autobiography called “I Always wanted to
Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927- September 28, 2003), also known as the tennis Jackie Robinson, was the first African-American woman to not only play amateur tennis but also join the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Althea Gibson was one of the most influential and significant figures in African-American women’s sports history (Douglas). Althea was the figurehead that established that blacks were equal competitors in sports (Gould). On the streets of Harlem, New York City is where Althea got her start; Traveling the globe breaking racial barriers in different countries and winning their tennis tournaments is what Althea did. Although she did not receive any monetary gain from her winnings she did receive many awards and trophies, as well as the meeting of many important individuals.
In my opinion, Ms. Jordan opened doors for black women with her strong voice and fearlessness. Barbara Jordan pushed for legislation that effects every minority child in Texas. Ms. Jordan also helped employers with her minimum wage
She was a black woman in the 1900’s. “Why is she so dark?” asked her father Ben Jordan when she was first born. Jordan was the first black woman to have a seat in the congress and in the Texas state senate, that means that she had to work with men. Men that probably didn’t think much of her because she was black and a woman, also because women weren’t respected very much then. She made it clear to the men who worked on the Texas Legislature and the United States Congress that she would never betray her people but that everything else was on the table.
She showed them that they could be equal. The only difference was the color of the skin. She taught them that that wasn’t even a big difference. She fought segregation her entire life.
“It is different to imagine tennis without Serena Williams who have influenced a generation of female players and left a mark that no sibling in sport’s can equal”. (Glyn Clarke) Her prominence in tennis is growing this includes her impact on inspiring African American tennis players. Before Williams, black athletes faced unique challenges, but Williams helped promote progress , instead of over focusing on the negativity. She is working so that future athletes won't have to face the same inequality . “ Serena has been at or near the top of her sport longer than almost any other athletes. ”(Lindsay Gibbs) Before Serena entered no female had earned over 56 million dollars in prize money . Tennis today is much more depth and quality competition than existed during the 1970s and 1980s. When became the second African American women to claim a Grand Slam title , later becoming a U.S. Open Champion. Before Serena no tennis player brought a mixture of maturity, fashion , business and a foot in the entertainment realm as an actress. Williams had been the likely target for a new generation of record chasers yet to
When daisy Junor played baseball she had a very hard time.She had to be the perfect little girl but at the same time she had to play baseball like a boy.She had to wear lots of makeup and skirts.She couldn't have any bruises on her.The reason she was playing baseball was because the men went to war.
A women's activist, she called for ladies to increase financial autonomy, and the work solidified her remaining as a social scholar. It was even utilized as a textbook at one time.
They said that “Daisy was the poster child for black resistance” (Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine). After all that she had been through as a kid, she was a strong young woman. Her mother was murdered while resisting rape by three white men. She loved her adoptive parents though (Taylor 39). Daisy Bates was the one of the main people who helped the kids get into Central High and helped make their transition as smooth as possible. She was their voice when they felt like no one would listen to them. she was the one who stood her ground to all the mean white people. she was the one who understood what these kids were going through, not that other people didn’t but she was the one that was walking in their shoes right along with them. When anything that would have made the kids back out, she was the one of the first people to know and she would tell the kids but made sure that they could do this and that they were strong for doing so. She made the kids feel good about the things they were doing for the Civil Rights Movement. She was always looking out for their best interests and she kept it at heart. When she felt something, she went with it and no one ever questioned her. Daisy was always trying to keep the kids safe so when a young reporter came to her and said “’sending those kids alone would be murder’” (Taylor 44). It not only made her uneasy, but also worried her and some of the other
She was the starving musician, the jazz singer who did all she could to stay alive and still do what she loves. The dedication she displayed to jazz is not easy to explain. She was a perfectionist in her fashion, depending upon her excellent ear, unique voice and honesty and love for people to keep her love alive.
Serena Williams is the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Her outstanding skills have earned her 50 million dollars through just prizes; that is more than any other athlete in the world (“Serena Williams Fast Facts”). Her fast reflexes, amazing skills, and outgoing personality have made her known as a powerful woman and an inspiration to many young girls. This African-American woman is almost six feet tall and is made of steel. With her long, muscular legs and her quick arms, no wonder she is number one!